


Rattlesnake

by Green_essential



Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Dark, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, It's the only healthy relationship tbh, Kidnapping, Mentions of Pedophilia, Multi, OC/OC Relationship, Obsession, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Relationship, Polyseed (Far Cry), Possessive Behavior, Psychological Trauma, Rape/Non-con Elements, Stalking, mentions of cannibalism, not for the faint hearted
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:28:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29021241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Green_essential/pseuds/Green_essential
Summary: "Before my granddad died, he warned me about snakes in the grass. Rattlers that snuck up on you and that you didn't notice until it was too late." Her lips turned down into a frown, the wind brushing her hair back. "Had I known how close the snakes were, I would've run. I would've run so far and so fast..." She turned to face him, green eyes burning in pain and fear. "Those snakes didn't just bite me. Their poison has ruined my life. I curse the day I ever laid eyes on the Seed's."
Relationships: Jacob Seed/Original Female Character(s), John Seed/Original Female Character(s), Joseph Seed/Original Female Character(s), Male Deputy | Judge (Far Cry)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 55





	1. GENESIS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Martha-Ann Robertson is portrayed by Danielle Campbell  
> Song credit: American Kids by Kenny Chesney

She’d been cleaning since five a.m.

Of course, it wasn’t just cleaning. The eighteen-year-old had been gutting her families house of mold, dirt, rotting food and other disgusting things she’d found. The dirty windows that had originally only offered some brown-filtered light were now sparkling, allowing strong sun rays into the home. The scuffed floorboards had been buffed and shined to the best of her abilities, and while they weren’t perfect, they looked much better than they had.

What little furniture remained had been covered in plastic tarps so as not to be ruined any further. She wanted to go into town and purchase some new stuff; maybe a nice couch, a new bed, and some more plates and cups. Her parents had taken almost everything when they left. But, then again, she couldn’t complain.

They’d left her the house. That was all hers.

The Robertson’s were a family that lived in the state of Montana for as long as anyone could remember. About fifty years prior, Elijah Robertson had moved himself and his new wife to Hope County, building a three-story farmhouse with white paneling and a blue roof and a large barn nearby. The house’s dark red door was a marker for everyone in town; whenever they drove by, they’d gesture up the half-mile driveway to the top of the hill and say, _There’s the old Robertson house!_

Elijah and Bethany Robertson had seven children. Four girls and three boys. They’d all grown up helping their father and mother on the land. Feeding the pigs and the chickens, milking the cows and goats. It was a simple country life. Of course, that’s what city people always thought. Simple? Sure. Easy? Nobody ever said owning animals and four acres of land was ever easy. But the couple had loved it, and they thought their children had, as well. 

But sometimes, wishing something on your children, and for your children, is only that: a wish. Their eldest daughter, Alaina, had no desire to take over the farm; she left for California as soon as she was eighteen and never looked back. Next came their eldest son Matthew, but he’d met a girl while he was away at college in Colorado. He’d stayed for her.

Then the twin girls, Olivia and Jade. One of them would be happy to take over, right? Wrong. Olivia had aspirations to become an architect, and Jade wanted to be a dancer. Both moved to New York and didn’t come home until their mother’s funeral nearly thirty years later.

Next was the unofficial middle child, Martha. She’d planned to take over from her parents since day one. As the youngest girl, she’d been with her father and mother on the farm hundreds of times. Hunting, baking, cooking, tending to the animals. She could ride and tend a horse better than even Elijah, and she loved each animal dearly. Her mother used to joke that she couldn’t take over; she’d never be able to slaughter a pig, even at gunpoint. As she neared her eighteenth birthday, she finished high school and prepared to start helping out more.

And then she died.

It was a freak accident. Nobody could have prevented it, as much as Elijah used to swear up and down that he could have if he’d done something differently. They’d just been out on their horses, herding the cows back in as a storm approached. As Martha was herding a young calf back to his mother, a coyote had lunged out of a nearby bush for a rabbit. Both spooked her horse, Gracie, and the young mare bucked Martha off. Before she had the chance to even scream, Gracie came back down on the ground with full force and stomped Martha’s chest in. Her lungs were crushed immediately under the weight of the animal.

She was dead before she even made it to the hospital.

In the wake of the tragedy, the farm fell into disrepair. Bethany could barely function in the loss of her baby girl, and Elijah was drowning in guilt. They ended up auctioning off almost every animal they owned, and eventually, the couple lost any desire to go into town. They became hermits, never leaving their home or going to church or seeing friends. The last of their children, sixteen-year-old David and thirteen-year-old Alexander, did everything for them. But eventually, they left, too.

Alexander was a wreck; he was closest with Martha. Despite the sibling between them, they were nearly inseparable. Her death ruined him in ways that were irreparable, and over twenty years later, he was in a rehab facility in Texas. Trying to heal his body from decades of crystal meth and heroine use.

David was the last one standing. As soon as he hit seventeen, he’d left for the military. The Marines, to be exact. They took him everywhere, but most importantly they took him to Triangle, Virginia. There he met his best friend, and later, his wife.

Jerome Jefferies and David Robertson were a few years apart, but that didn’t stop their brotherly bond. It was Jerome that introduced David to a good friend of his, Sara Shaw.

It was a whirlwind romance; six months of dating and then they were married. Their friends and family were concerned, but the couple paid them no mind. They were so in love they didn’t bother with anyone but each other. David didn’t even introduce Sara to his parents or his siblings before tying the knot; he wouldn’t have been able to get them all back in the same place anyway.

David’s time in the Marines would be drawing to a close; he’d had enough of the military and wanted a simpler life. And a more family-friendly one, as well. Sara was eight months along when his contract finally ended, and they were planning to settle down in Florida. Far away from both families, nothing them and their own offspring.

Martha-Ann “Mattie” Bethany Robertson was born 21 July 2000. A gorgeous little girl, with soft dark hair and eyes, a heart-shaped face and full lips. She had the most beautiful face, but the most beautiful heart, too. Sara used to marvel at how she made such a wonderful little girl.

Now right from the start, Mattie loved animals. All of them, of all different kinds. She was constantly bringing home strays from outside, begging her mother to let her nurse them back to health. Wounded birds, starving cats and dogs, beaten down squirrels and even a little lizard once that turned out to be blind. She’d named him Gordon and he’d lived three years under her care.

But when Mattie was thirteen, they got the call.

Bethany had cancer, and Elijah was a mess. He could barely function with his wife there to help him. Once she was gone, he would go, too. David knew that none of his siblings would go up there, and despite having no real desire to see the house again, he brought the idea to Sara. The woman was thrilled at the idea of Mattie getting to spend time with her grandparents and agreed.

That was five years ago. They’d moved to Montana to save Bethany and Elijah, but it turns out they couldn’t. The brain tumor took Bethany a year after they’d moved there, and Elijah clung to life for the next four years. His heart was weak under the tragedies he’d suffered, never truly healing from the death of his daughter and the abandonment of his other children. Not too long before Mattie’s eighteenth birthday, he was gone.

He went quietly, gracefully. David, Sara, and Mattie were all with him in his bedroom as the hospice nurse made him comfortable. He looked over to his granddaughter, the only one he’d ever met, and the one he’d grown so close with. Taking her hand, he’d told her:

_“There are rattlers all over, baby girl. Not just the snakes in the grass, but in the real world, too. And you gotta know how to spot them. But don’t get caught up in life with your eyes on the ground instead of lookin’ ahead. Don’t just survive, baby girl. Live.”_

And then he was gone.

Once he’d died, David and Sara saw no real reason to stick around. They began preparations to leave immediately, searching up houses back down in Florida and applying for new jobs.

But Mattie didn’t.

_Why would I leave?_ She protested. _Grandpa loved this place, he’d hate to see it sold off! What if I stayed, and took care of it? I could restore it, make it the best one on the market! And you’ve always said it would be good for me to get some time around animals and find out if it’s really what I want to do!_

There were more than a few arguments about it, but the truth was, it made sense. Mattie wanted independence, and she wanted to feel closer to her roots. David didn’t want the house sold off, and neither did the other siblings that owned the house, (it had been split between he, Alaina, and Matthew). And he wanted Mattie to be close by, or at least in a place where he knew she was safe. And nothing interesting ever happened in Hope County.

Which brings us, reader, back to the story.

Mattie’s parents had been gone for a week. The house was now mostly clean and awaiting new paint, wallpaper, furniture, and just about everything else. With a book on home renovation and a fridge full of energy drinks, the eighteen-year-old didn’t really have time to notice the new neighbors. But maybe she should have. Maybe she would have noticed the red flags a little earlier, maybe she would have caught onto what was going on. But she couldn’t have.

Nobody was really prepared for what came to Hope County in August of 2017. And boy did they pay for it.

* * *

The dust from the wheels blew out behind her old truck as she drove to town, windows down and singing along to the radio. Her hands, fingernails with chipped blue nail polish and her grandmothers ring on her right had gleaming in the sunlight were tapping on the wheel and the door to the beat of the song.

_Rolling up in little pink houses,_

_Making out on living room couches_

_Blowing that smoke on Saturday night,_

_A little messed up but we’re all alright_

_Hey!_

Shouts and greetings met her ears as she pulled up to the grocery store. The engine grumbled and died as she pulled the keys out, a thin sheen of sweat already breaking out across the back of her neck in the Montana heat. Summer was drawing to a close, the end of August. Mattie couldn’t help but be grateful; the winters here were much worse, but she’d take cold over the heat any day.

The bell above her chimed loudly as she entered, and the store clerk smiled at her.

“Good morning, Mattie!”

“Morning, Augustine.” Mattie told her warmly. The old woman always had a smile to give, it was why Mattie always came to her store. Well, it _was_ the only grocery store they had in town but even if it wasn’t, she’d still choose it.

The list was pretty basic: Skim milk, eggs, bread, apples, oranges, grapes, lunchmeat, pickles, flour and two boxes of cereal. She always picked one religiously, the Apple Jacks. But she mixed up the second one every month. This time, she was thinking about going with Frosted Flakes.

With her grocery list complete and her truck filled up, Mattie began getting ready to drive back up to the town house when two friendly voices greeted her.

“Well, well, do mine own eyes deceive me?” Jerome Jefferies teased as he walked towards his best friend’s daughter. Mattie smiled warmly at the preacher.

“Hey, Jerome.” She greeted, leaning over to give the man a light hug. “How are you? How’s Sunday service?”

“It’s wonderful, dear. Though, I know it’d be better if I had you there once in a while.” He raised an eyebrow at her, and Mattie shrugged before glancing down at her sneakers. It wasn’t that Mattie didn’t like church, and she loved Jerome like an uncle. But her parents had been agnostic their whole lives, something they’d inadvertently passed down to their daughter. Mattie had no real desire to go to church.

Luckily, she didn’t have to answer when a new voice interrupted, a goofy and happy one.

“Well damn, pastor, how come you’re not as excited to see me on Sunday?”

Mattie laughed as Nick and Kim Rye approached them, Jerome rolling his eyes at the bearded mans words. “It could have to do with your language in the congregation, Nick.”

Kim waved her hand at her husbands fake-hurt expression, instead turning to the young woman in front of her. “I’m more surprised to see our resident hermit out and about. What causes you to grace us with your presence, Mattie?” 

The young woman rolled her eyes at the teasing but gestured to her truck. “I had to pick up some groceries, wanted to make sure I’m all stocked up before I start painting.”

“Ah, yes, so you can hole yourself up with everything you need to survive; I forgot.” Kim closed her eyes and nodded, as if just remembering. Mattie let her mouth drop open in offense.

“I don’t do that!”

“Really, cause this is the first time we’ve seen you out and about since your parents left for Florida again.”

This time, the teen reached up and twisted a loose lock of brown hair around her finger that had escaped her bun. “Well, that’s not my fault. The whole house was a nightmare when we finally cleaned all that junk out of it; you should have seen it.”

“We could, you know. We’d love to help you.” Kim reminded her, and Nick turned to his wife in confusion.

“We would?”

Without turning to look at him, Kim lifted her arm and dug her elbow sharply into his ribs. The larger man grunted and rubbed his side but turned to Mattie with a forced smile.

“I mean- yeah, kid, we’ve love to help out sometime.”

“How about this?” Jerome suggested, holding his hands out. “We’re having a potluck at the church this Sunday to welcome some new folk that just moved in. If you bring by your famous apple pie, then myself, the Rye’s, and Mary-May will all come up to help you out on Monday. You’re painting, right?”

Mattie bit her lip, acting like she was thinking incredibly hard about the decision. “Well…”

“Aw, come on, Mattie!” Nick cried, throwing an arm around her shoulders. “No one makes apple pies like you! And you haven’t been to a potluck in months.”

It was true; she hadn’t been by to one since last Fourth of July with her parents. Finally, she smiled and shook her head.

“Alright,” she relented, “I’ll be there.”

Nick whooped loudly while Jerome smiled. “It’s going to be noon sharp, little darlin’.”

“Who just moved in?”

“Oh, it’s this family.” Jerome said off-handedly, gesturing to the road leading out of town. “Three brothers; Buildin’ a ranch about three miles to the West.”


	2. WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBERHOOD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I remember the game telling us that Joseph took most of Jerome's members and beating him in the street, leaving him for dead. Since this starts pre-Far Cry 5, I thought it would be great to build a base for that! I hope you liked it and I hope to see you all when I post the next chapter!

Mattie’s dress: <https://www.pinterest.com/pin/7177680629197373/>

“Ow! Ugh, damn it…”

Mattie scowled as she rubbed her ankle; the joint was now throbbing from where she’d smacked it against her truck’s door. Clad in a white dress and her brown boots, Mattie was running late to get to the potluck at the church. She’d accidentally fallen asleep last night before putting the pie in the oven. And because she was Mattie, she’d also woken up late. Which meant she’d thrown the pie in there while rushing around to get ready and was forced to wait an extra fifteen minutes while it finished.

She tugged at her skirt, frowning as the wind blew. This dress was a little too short, and she really didn’t like skirts in general. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn one; her parents had let her wear shorts to the last potluck. But now she was on her own, an adult. And she thought wearing a skirt might be a good sign of maturity.

Of course, it would have if the skirt would go to her knees like it used to.

A quick glance at her digital watch showed the teen that the service had started fifteen minutes ago. She cursed again, then looked to the chapel and winced.

“Sorry…” She muttered, then grabbed the pie in her passenger seat and bolted up the steps, her black messenger bag bumping against her legs.

_Hopefully no one notices me coming in…_

**GENERAL P.O.V**

“…and we are happy to welcome three new members to our congregation. The Seed family. Jacob, Joseph and John, we welcome you to our town and hope you find happiness here.”

Three men nodded at the pastor’s words. They were sitting up front, side by side, in what appeared to be the order of oldest to youngest. First was a man with bright red hair, cut in a style where his hair was long on top, but shaved on the sides. His face was covered in scars, burn scars that were barely covered by his scruffy red beard. They looked painful, but the man’s face was set somberly. One could tell by the way he was shifting around in the hard pew and tugging at the collar of his button up blue shirt that he wasn’t normally a church-going man.

The one next to him looked much more comfortable and smiled warmly at the welcome he received from Pastor Jefferies. His hair was long, almost to his mid-back, and he’d pulled it back into a low bun at the bottom of his neck that matched his neat, trimmed beard. He had on a crisp white shirt and a gray vest; he was an every Sunday man, for sure. They both looked to be in roughly their early forties at the youngest.

The last brother was noticeably younger than the first two, maybe late twenties or early thirties. His hair was at his shoulders but slicked back in a neat fashion that complimented his goatee. He was dressed in much more expensive clothes, one’s that looked out of place in the worn-down church. He was looking around him, seeming a little unimpressed, but a withering look from his older brother forced him to still.

“Next in announcements, we-“

Pastor Jefferies was cut off when one of the large brown double-doors opened, creaking and clanking loudly as someone squeezed in. All three brothers turned to see who it was-

-and froze.

It was a girl; a young woman, maybe sixteen or seventeen. She was tiny, barely five-foot-two it seemed. Her long brown hair shuffled in the breeze as she closed the door behind her, heart-shaped face looking sheepish. Her plump lips pulled back into a grimace as the door echoed loudly when it closed, and she rushed to the table off to the side, distributing a pie on the table full of food.

Pastor Jefferies fixed the girl with a teasing look, as if to say, _Really?_

The girl shrugged and mouthed back an apology before sliding into a seat with the young couple at the back, Nick and Kim Rye. Her white dress stood out against her tanned skin, indicating she spent most of her time outside.

Kim Rye leaned over and whispered something in the girl’s ear with a smile before poking her side. The young lady jumped and giggled while she shushed the woman, but both of them faced forward at the pastor’s stern look.

“Moving on, I was saying we will be touching up the paint on the church on Wednesday afternoon, if any of you could spare some extra hands…”

The girl felt eyes on her and looked over to see three pairs of intense blue eyes watching her. Smiling, she nodded politely and returned her eyes to the speaker. But she couldn’t shake the feeling of their eyes on her periodically throughout the service.

**MATTIE/THIRD PERSON P.O.V**

As much as Mattie disliked going to church, she really did miss her friends. She sat with Nick and Kim, stifling giggles as Nick made comments about the new neighbors.

The eighteen-year-old had to give it to him; the three brothers weren’t what she expected. The oldest one, with the red hair, looked like he would rather be digging a ditch than be within spitting distance of the church. The younger one was looking around in distaste at the church, like the building was ruining his designer clothes. Mattie’s chest pricked with annoyance; Jerome worked hard to keep this building maintained, and he did a good job. Who was he to judge them? The middle brother, however, always kept his eyes on Jerome. He was enraptured by the service, drinking in every word.

Near the end of the last hymn, she felt it again. The tingling on her spine, the feeling of being watched. She let her eyes move over to where she felt it, and there they were. Three sets of vivid blue eyes, watching her. Staring at her. Mattie shifted in her seat, trying to ignore them. Maybe they weren’t staring at her? Maybe they were staring at the stained-glass window behind her? It _was_ beautiful.

The service was done within the hour. That was the great thing about Jerome being a veteran: He understood the importance of a time stamp. He also seemed to notice that his congregation’s eyes kept turning to the spread of delicious, homemade food in the back, and he closed his remarks at noon.

After the prayer, Mattie hopped up from her seat and made her way to Jerome through the crowd of people, not noticing Jerome stopping to talk to someone. She walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and greeting him warmly-

-and realizing it was the new brothers he was speaking to.

“Ah, good to see you made it, Mattie.” Jerome told her happily, bending down to kiss her cheek. It was a traditional greeting between the two. “Even if it wasn’t on time.”

The young woman reached up and pushed a piece of hair behind her ear, shrugging. “Sorry,” she apologized sheepishly, “I forgot to put it in the oven last night before I passed out on the couch.”

Jerome shook his head. “Ah, I remember being young and being able to sleep anywhere. Now my back aches when I sit down wrong.”

As they chuckled at the joke, he gestured to the three men. “Oh, how rude of me! Mattie, this is the new family, the Seed’s. Jacob, Joseph, and John.”

He pointed to each man as he said their name. Mattie smiled in the friendliest way she could, though she couldn’t help the awkward feeling around her. She wasn’t the most social person on Earth, and their constant staring during the hour had made things a little…weird.

“A pleasure to meet you, my dear.” The youngest in the fancy clothes, John, greeted smoothly. His voice was very charismatic, like he had experience with charming the people around him. He took her hand, and she expected to shake it, but her eyes went wide when he bent down and kissed the back of it.

“Oh, um, it’s nice to meet you, too.” She responded, withdrawing her hand. Her cheeks were burning as the middle brother, Joseph, placed his hand on John’s shoulder.

“Apologies about my brother, ma’am. He sometimes forgets his southern manners are not always accepted everywhere.” He squeezed John’s shoulder, almost like a warning, and then reached out to shake hers. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The eldest, Jacob, didn’t say anything. He only stuck his hand out and shook her hand firmly, eyes never leaving hers the entire time. The intensity put her off, but she smiled kindly at all of them.

“It’s so nice to speak to you all. I hope you’re having a good time.” She looked over to the table, spotting Mary May and Kim talking over a pot of chili, and gestured to them. “Well, I’m going to go say hi to some friends. It was nice to meet you!”

“So, I see you met the new neighbors.” Mary-May told her, wiggling her eyebrows. “They’re something, huh?”

“Yeah, that youngest one, John,” Mattie shook her head, loading some mac n’ cheese, “he’s pretty…personable.”

“What do you mean?” Kim asked.

She explained to both of her friends what had happened when she greeted them, leaving out how much they’d been staring. She didn’t want to be over-dramatic; they may not have been doing it on purpose.

But it seemed she didn’t need to. Kim raised her eyebrows in surprise while Mary-May turned to glare in the Seed’s direction. “I’m not sure that’s appropriate; no offense, Mattie, but you barely look old enough to be graduated from high school.” She turned to her young friend. “Do you need me to talk to him?”

The brunette immediately shook her head, eyes wide. “No, no! Um, it’s fine. Besides, I don’t come to church that often, anyway. Really, Mary May, it’s ok.”

Both the blonde bartender and Kim didn’t look convinced but listened to the desperate edge in Mattie’s voice. “Alright. Look, let’s get a seat outside. I’ll go get Nick, and you and him can talk more about pilot lessons, ok?”

As they moved along the line, Mattie hung back to grab some of Augustine’s cornbread. It was a recipe she’d been begging for since she’d first moved to Hope County five years ago, but the elderly woman would only wink and say it was a family recipe.

As her hand moved for the spatula, another large hand clamped down on top of hers. She jumped and let go, turning her head to see John Seed holding his hands up.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” He told her, then gestured to the dish. “Please, you go ahead.”

Mattie moved to grab a piece as quickly as she could, but the older man was already talking. “So, Maddie. Is that a nickname, short for Madison or…?”

“No, my full name is Martha-Ann.” She explained, “It’s a family name, but I really don’t like it. Everyone just calls me Mattie, with t’s.”

“I see. Well, it’s lovely. Where do you and your parents live?”

That question made her hesitate; should she really tell him? Then again, someone would point it out to him soon enough. Everyone in Holland Valley, and Hope County in general, knew about the old Robertson farm. “Um, I live up the hill in my family’s home. My parents live back down in Florida.”

John’s eyes widened, and he shook his head, placing the hand that wasn’t hold his plate on his chest. “Oh, forgive me, sweetheart. I thought you were in high school. A bad guess on my part.”

“Don’t worry about it.” She brushed off, then nodded at Kim and Nick, who were watching the exchange. “I’m going to go eat now, but it was nice to talk to you!”

He said some sort of good-bye to her, but she didn’t hear before she was scurrying over to the couple, letting them shepherd her outside.

Nick looked behind him, narrowing his eyes as John’s eyes followed Mattie. He didn’t like the look in the man’s face as he watched the teen girl. But before he could comment to his wife, John caught his eyes. His penetrating gaze dropped to a look of irritation, and then he turned around, walking back over to his brothers.

Mattie found herself distracted from all the talking and good food, so she almost didn’t notice the setting sun. Her eyebrows rose in surprise as she checked her watch to see it was almost seven o’clock.

She bid her friends goodbye, promising the others she’d open her door to start painting the next day at eight o’clock in the morning; she wanted to be completely done with painting halfway through the week so it would be fully dry and ready for new furniture by next week.

Grabbing her bag, she walked away from the laughing and talking group, still on a high from all the good moods around her. But she was so distracted she didn’t notice the form following her, waiting until she was far enough away from the group before he swooped in and began speaking to her.

“Leaving so soon?”

Mattie nearly went six feet in the air, whipping around in shock.

Joseph was standing behind her, smiling like nothing was wrong. She took a deep breath, eyes flying to the group behind her and the nodded, hear still racing.

“Yeah, I need to be up early to start painting, so,” she gestured to her truck, “I need to get to sleep early.”

He nodded, still smiling, but took a step closer. “Forgive me for saying, my dear, but you don’t seem too comfortable in church today.”

Mattie froze, and shock wore away quick as anger took its place. What kind of person made such a personal statement?

“Well, I’m afraid that’s none of your business, is it?” She asked coolly, taking a step back from him. The shift in the air between them seem to notify Joseph he’d stepped too far, and he immediately moved back, holding up his hands.

“Of course, my child. My apologies.”

Mattie’s glare didn’t let up, and she turned around without speaking and jumped into her truck. With one last cautious glance in the man’s direction, she put it in drive and roared away from the curb, taking off for the dirt road by the Spread Eagle.

Joseph watched her leave, keeping his facial expression controlled as she’d hopped into her truck. He couldn’t drag his gaze away from the girl’s smooth legs as her dress rode up when she stepped in. They stayed on his mind as she drove away, but he did his best to suppress them. These were lustful thoughts, and they weren’t appropriate.

Not right then, anyway.


	3. INTRUDER

August slowly wore on, but the stifling heat stayed. They should have started getting drops in temperatures by September, but mid-month rolled around and the sun continued to beat down them.

Mattie was busy with the house; she updated the white paint outside and repainted almost every room within. The house smelled like paint fumes for a week, but it was so hot she was glad to sleep with the windows open. The house obviously wouldn’t be furnished until someone officially moved in, but she really wanted to get some new stuff for her room. She’d be there until the barn was done being repaired, and the houses plumbing still hadn’t even been really looked at. It would be another nine months, at least.

It was grueling labor, but she was proud to see how to see how much her hard work was paying off. The house already looked a million times better. And bonus, all the manual labor had been giving her some pretty defined muscles as well as a great tan.

She still hadn’t been back to church since the potluck. Jerome didn’t find that odd, and neither did anybody else. However, Mary-May had told her John Seed asked about her the second Sunday. The bartended obviously thought that was weird, but a few Sunday’s later, the brothers stopped showing up all together.

Actually, Mattie hadn’t heard from them or about them in almost a month. She saw construction crews driving towards where the brothers would be building their new home, and last she heard, John had just purchased several more plots of land from some residents. That was weird, as she hadn’t known any of the families had been looking to sell their land. In fact, most of the one’s she knew were pretty protective over their barns and animals and farms. It ran in the family.

But maybe they fell on hard times. Montana had some harsh conditions, and it wasn’t unusual to get overwhelmed.

_And it’s none of my business,_ she thought, then shrugged it off and went back to her life.

Early one Tuesday, Mattie had to drive over to a farm nearby to purchase some more fresh produce, as well as eggs and milk. She was planning on getting some chickens herself, but she was a little busy for that.

The watermelon, box of strawberry’s, tomato’s, bottle of milk and a carton of eggs sat securely in her passenger seat as she drove along, singing along to her phone, plugged in through the aux cord. Carrie Underwood’s voice blasted through the speakers. 

_I dug my key into the side_

_Of his pretty little souped up four-wheel drive_

_Carved my name into his leather seats_

_I took a Louisville Slugger to both headlights_

_Slashed a hole in all four tires!_

_Maybe next time he’ll think before he cheats_

However, she was singing a little too loud and failed to notice the sounds coming from the trucks hood. By the time she saw the temp gauge moving up, the steam was already billowing out from under her hood.

“Shit!” She cursed, swerving off to the side of the road and hopping out. The teen knew better than to pop the hood right after killing the engine, so she took off her flannel while she waited. It was easily in the nineties, and she found herself scowling at the burning sun. Normally they were in the seventies by this time frame. Now clad in her thin tank and a pair of daisy dukes, she grabbed the toolbox out of the bed and popped the hood up, barely avoiding a shot of steam.

One hour and a few bad words later, Mattie slammed the toolbox shut. The good news was she knew exactly what was wrong: her coolant reservoir had busted a hole in it. When that had happened, she had no idea. This rust bucket was breaking in a few more ways than one. The bad news: It was completely out of coolant, and she knew exactly where some more was.

In her garage, about ten miles away.

She’d tried to call Jerome or Nick, but her phone wasn’t getting any service. Hope County was awful when it came to cell phone reception, and the roads were filled with random dead spots. And of course, she broke down right in the middle of one. Walking up and down the dirt road yielded no results, either.

She bit her lip, glancing back up at the sky. It would take hours to get back home, and no way she could carry everything back with her. It would spoil in her truck. A bunch of perfectly good food completely wasted.

Mattie was so busy with her self-pity she almost didn’t notice the white pickup blazing past her. But she did notice how it slammed on its brakes, then slowly started backing up. Thinking it was a friend, she stood at the side of the road and looked in-

-only to see Jacob Seed staring back at her.

“You lost, kitten?” He asked gruffly. Mattie bit back her irritation at the nickname and nodded to her truck.

“No, I’m having some truck problems.”

Without talking, Jacob turned on his hazards and jumped out of the driver’s seat, walking around to her. As he did, Mattie couldn’t help but notice how different he looked. Gone was the stiff-collared shirt and slacks he’d worn to church last month. In its place was a faded Army jacket with ripped up jeans and well-worn combat boots covered in dirt. As he stopped beside her, she also noticed how much bigger he was than her. She barely came up to his chest.

“Need some help?”

Shaking her head, she pointed to the busted reservoir. “No, I know the problem. My coolant tank is busted, and I don’t have any in the truck with me.” She resisted the urge to kick the front tire. “Damn thing won’t even go a mile without overheating.”

Jacob hummed, then turned to her. The contrast of his blue eyes with his red hair always threw her, and he jutted his chin towards the road.

“You need me to drive you to get some?”

“No, I’ve got some at home,” she shook her head and pointed to the backseat, “but I’ve got perishable groceries back there. They won’t survive the time it’ll take me to get it, fill it up, and then get them home.”

She expected him to pause, to think of another option for a few seconds. But he looked right at her, scarred face pulling into a grin, and nodded to his truck. “Hop in.”

The grin on his face wasn’t comforting. In fact, it made her take a step back. There was something in his eyes that gave her pause, and made her hair stand on end. “Um, what?”

“My brothers and I are set up less than three miles back that way. I can run you there, grab some coolant, and we can patch up your truck so you can be on your way.” He closed the hood, then slapped it. “Easy-peasy.”

“Well, I don’t know…” Mattie trailed off, glancing back at her bag in the car. She considered turning him down and trying Jerome again, but a dead spot was a dead spot. She might have to walk a few miles back there to get some reception anyway. Why not just fix the problem and skip the extra step?

But something in Jacob’s face wasn’t sitting right with her. His eyes were dark, almost predatory, and she wanted to hop in her truck and drive away.

But she couldn’t. She couldn’t drive anywhere, not until she fixed it. So, with a sigh, she nodded and forced a smile on her face.

“Ok. Thanks so much.”

The drive was quiet. Jacob didn’t seem to be much of a conversationalist, and that was fine by her.

It was his eyes that were freaking her out.

Every so often, when he seemed to think she wasn’t looking, his eyes would rake over her legs and up to the little sliver of skin above her shorts. Her tank top hid the belly button ring she had in, and Mattie found herself wondering if this was such a good idea when he finally slowed to a stop outside of a small cabin, nodding at it. “In here. Come on, we can get you some water in this heat.”

She started to tell him it wasn’t necessary, but he was already out of the car, door shut and heading for her side. Muscles tensed, she hopped out and followed him into the cabin, keeping a solid four-foot distance between them.

Jacob swung the door open and made way for the kitchen table. Mattie hung back in the doorway, feeling awkward and uncomfortable with entering. Her eyes roamed over the living space, noting that it appeared all three of the brothers were currently living there. The kitchen was messy, but Jacob didn’t seem to notice as he dug around under the sink and pulled out a black, plastic bottle.

“Here we go.” He announced, moving to join her. As he did, Mattie’s eyes fell on something white on the coffee table. Her head cocked to the side as she studied the book.

It was thick, thick like the bible. The white front was decorated with a black symbol, one that looked like a cross. But this wasn’t the cross she’d been raised with. It was thicker, with all of the lines an equal length and four more coming from the intersecting points. She stepped closer to it-

The door slammed hard in her face, nearly hitting her right in the nose, and she jumped back with a gasp. Jacob stood there, glaring at her.

“Didn’t your mother ever tell you it’s rude to snoop, kitten?” He growled, and Mattie took a step back when she realized how close he was. The hairs on her arms rose up, and her heartbeat quickened as he matched her step, crowding her more.

“No, I wasn’t, I just-“ she tried to come up with a good lie, but suddenly he was too close. She felt her breathing pick up and went to take another step back, but her spine hit the side of the cabin and her next breath caught in her throat. He had her trapped.

“Cause it’s _very rude._ ” He warned her lowly, his voice darkening. Mattie’s voice was stuck, she wasn’t sure what to do. Was he going to-

Suddenly, he pulled back, dark facial expression dropping. The teen stared at him with wide eyes, still breathing hard as he chuckled.

“Ah, come on now. I’m just joking around. Hop in the truck, we’ll get ya to your car.” Without waiting for a response, he turned around and walked to the truck, hopping in like nothing had happened.

Mattie sat there for a few more seconds, trying to breathe properly. What just happened? He said he’d just been kidding, but it didn’t feel like it. She could still feel the shockwaves of fear rushing through her, screaming at her to get somewhere safe.

But she had nowhere to go. She was completely reliant on him right then. A startling thought occurred to her as she jumped back into the passenger seat, pressing up against the door, that he had done it on purpose.

But as they drove away, she shook it off.

Maybe she was just over-reacting again.

**GENERAL P.O.V**

Once he’d helped the girl patch up her car for the time being, Jacob waved to her as she drove out of sight. Soon, her rusty red pick-up disappeared around a bend, blowing dust behind it on the dirt road.

He couldn’t lie; he’d been about to drive right past the truck, not wanting to help whoever was in distress, when he’d seen the young girl standing at the hood, clad in a gray tank top and the shortest damn shorts he’d ever seen. The sight of her pressed up against the front of a car made him stop immediately, remembering what Joseph had told him.

_We must assure her, and the rest of the town, that we are trustworthy. Otherwise, we’ll never get close._

So, like a knight in shining armor, he’d stopped. The thought made him chuckle, but he was happy he did. Having those tan, soft legs in his truck next to him was worth it. When she wasn’t looking, he could barely keep his eyes from trailing over them, moving to the sliver of skin above her shorts. When she shifted, he could’ve sworn he’d seen a piece of gold jewelry, like a belly-button ring.

And when he’d had her backed up against the wall of the cabin, he’d almost lost control. She wasn’t supposed to see the Book of Joseph; his brother wanted to get a few people to his side quietly before he began preaching to the masses. But when he had her scared and cornered like that, thinking of her tiny little face with wide eyes at his mercy, he felt his pants get tighter.

_God, what it would feel like to have those legs around his waist. Or better yet, have her bent over, naked in front of him…_

He groaned, shifting in his seat at the pressure between his legs. He tried to get rid of the thoughts, but the images kept coming, making the pressure worse. He growled and started the truck, gunning it in the direction of the old church up on the hill.

Jacob needed to tell his brothers of the new development.

It took two more weeks, but the cooler temperatures that Mattie was so desperately wishing for finally showed up. As she was cleaning out the garbage leftover in the barn, she got the very first rain of the autumn season.

Tilting her head back, the girl smiled as the water poured down on top of her. She missed rain. It was always raining at some point in Florida, and the girl learned to adore thunderstorms. As if granting her request, a clap of thunder made her jump, then laugh in delight.

Enjoying the water, she continued to clean out the trash. It started as a light sprinkle, but as time wore on, it grew into a downpour. Mattie began to shiver, and eventually dragged the trashcan back inside, covering it with a tarp. She had no desire to be picking up soggy trash after the storm.

Jogging inside, she shut the door behind her and locked it, shivering. A cup of green tea and a hot shower sounded wonderful, followed by a horror movie marathon. She loved the cult classics.

“I dug my key into his car…” she sang softly, stepping into her master bathroom and stripping off her clothes. The wet offenders fell in heaps to the floor as she peeled them off her skin, then stepped into the hot stream of water.

**GENERAL P.O.V**

The figure creeped in slowly through the front door, pocketing the two paper clips he’d used to pick the lock. He checked around him carefully, wanting to be sure he didn’t startle the girl when she saw him.

It wasn’t time for them to take her yet.

The room around him was mostly bare. Some couches, a small tv. From what Joseph had learned, Mattie was fixing up the house and getting funding from her parents. The thought of the girl up her, completely alone and so far away from help, made his heart race.

It couldn’t have been more perfect if he’d planned it himself.

Closing the door softly behind him, he moved silently into the kitchen, listening intently for sounds of the teenager. But as he passed the staircase, the hissing sound of water met his ears.

_Ah, so she’s in the shower…_

He couldn’t resist. Smirking, he carefully took the steps, wincing when they creaked. But the shower must have been loud enough to cover his tracks.

He finally reached the second floor and followed the noise of the water, stopping outside the door. It was ajar, steam billowing from the room, and his eyes fell on the mirror to his left.

There she was, he could see her reflection. The shower curtain blurred out most of her image, as well as the steam, but he could still see her outline. He could still see the curve of her hips, the softness of her skin, the swell of her breasts…

The water suddenly shut off, and he turned, sneaking back down the hall. He could hear her shuffling around, most likely getting dressed. He ached to go watch her but getting caught now would completely screw them over. He wasn’t even supposed to be in there, Jacob and Joseph would kill him. But seeing the girl out in the rain, the droplets all over skin and pressing her clothes to her body, had done him in.

He tried three doors before one finally opened, showing him exactly what he was looking for. Her room. Looking back down the hallway to ensure Mattie wasn’t coming out, he slipped inside and began poking around.

She was a little messy. Then again, she was still quite young. Her room was by no means dirty, just cluttered. A vanity was pushed against the far wall, filled with makeup and nail polishes and a jewelry box. Then there was a large dresser, a drawer pulled out and a few articles of clothing hanging from it. He could also see the desk on the other side of the room, where a laptop sat charging. Her bed was unmade, but as he walked by, he couldn’t help but grab one of her pillows and bring it to his face.

_Oh, Lord…_ It smelled like her. Like roses and vanilla. He could only imagine burying his face in her hair as he took her, listening to her moan and scream beneath him. As his pants got tighter, he inhaled deeper, staring to get lost in his fantasies. The thought of her voice screaming his name, telling him _yes_ over and over again…

Footsteps startled him and pulled him from his daydreaming. Tossing the pillow back onto the bed, he dropped to his stomach and shimmied under the bed just in time for two small feet with purple toenails to walk in.

Mattie shuffled into her bedroom, shivering in the cold. “Ugh, where did I put it?” She muttered out loud, kicking over a few articles of clothing on her floor. She really needed to clean her room, and a load of laundry wouldn’t hurt, either.

She continued to search around, eyes going over the small pile of laundry on her bed. “Aha!”

Grabbing the black sweatshirt, she let her towel drop and wiggled on her underwear, gray sweatpants, a paint-stained t-shirt and finally threw the black sweatshirt on. It had been her dads, and he forget to take it with him when they left. But it was huge on her, going almost to her knees, and she loved it. It made her feel safe.

Satisfied with her comfort level, she turned on her heel and headed back downstairs to get her kettle started.

And froze.

There, in the hallway, were wet footprints. And not hers. These were from shoes; a set of boots, it looked like. She followed them backwards, going from her bedroom to the bathroom, and noticed they went to the stairs as well. She followed them down, her confusion slowly morphing into fear.

_These don’t look like mine._

The footsteps originated from the front door, and her heart jumped to her throat when she realized it wasn’t locked. Her blood turned cold, and her breathing picked up. She was positive she’d locked that door; she always locked it behind her.

_Was there someone in the house?_

She moved to the kitchen, opening the cabinet door below the sink. Reaching in, she pulled out the shotgun that resided there, hands trembling slightly as she loaded it.

Breathing hard, she grabbed her phone and dialed Kim’s number immediately. They were closer than the police. After a few rings, she started to fear her friend wouldn’t pick up, but relief flooded her when a familiar voice came on.

_“Hey, Mattie. What’s up?”_

“Kim.” Her voice trembled as she spoke, and the woman on the other end noticed immediately.

_“Mattie, what’s wrong? Are you ok?”_

“No. I- I think there’s someone in my house.”

_“What?!”_ There was shuffling on the other line, and then she heard Kim calling for her husband. _“Nick! Nick, come here!”_ She pressed the receiver to her mouth again. _“Sweetheart, where are you?”_

“I’m in the kitchen, I’ve got my dads gun. There’s wet footprints that aren’t mine, Kim, they’re too big for me…” She trailed off, heart racing, and Kim jumped in.

_“Ok, listen to me, hun. Get out of the house, grab your phone and get in your truck. I’m going to call the police, and I’ll have Nick meet Whitehorse over there, ok? You can spend the night here and they’ll check out the house. Do it, now.”_

With trembling fingers, Mattie did as instructed. She threw on her boots, her heart jumping at every sound around her. She felt like someone was going to come up behind her at any moment. Grabbing her keys and her phone, she took off outside, running all the way to her truck. Jumping in, she revved on the engine and took off down the driveway.

John rolled out from under the bed, scowling as he heard her truck pulling away. Shit, he hadn’t thought about his footprints. The rain outside meant he’d tracked them all over the house.

He needed to leave, right then. He heard Mattie on the phone with Kim Rye. No doubt her annoying, troublesome husband would come over to check things out, followed by the police. He needed to be long gone by the time they got there.

_Not that it matters,_ he thought with a smirk, _they can’t connect anything back to him._ He already had a solid alibi set up, he’d planned for this. He just couldn’t help himself.

But as he started for the door, his eyes caught a piece of cloth. Her jacket. He grabbed it immediately, stuffing it into his pocket. It was small and thin, fitting easily into his coat.

Until he had her in his arms, this would have to satisfy his fantasies for now.

_A few hours later…_

Mattie looked up from her mug of hot cocoa as the front door opened, Nick and the sheriff stepping into the Rye’s living room. Kim stood up from her seat beside her, shoulders tense.

“Well?”

Whitehorse shook his head as he closed the door. “House is clear. The footprints are definitely there, but they look old. Whoever was in there is long gone by now.”

Mattie took a shaky breath, running a hand through her still-damp hair. Whitehorse turned to her, eyes narrowed in concern.

“Listen, Mattie, I think it’s best if you stay with the Rye’s here for a little bit, at least until we make sure to catch whoever’s doing this or to wait until it’s safe again. I’m not sure you living by yourself is a very good idea.”

The teen normally hated being spoken to like a child, but she was so shaken up, she just nodded. “I’ll, um, I’ll go grab some clothes.”

“Here, let me drive you over there.” Nick offered, jingling his keys. “And we’ll call your mom and dad, just so they know what’s going on.”

That made her scowl. Her parents were going to freak, she just knew it. They’d demand she come back home immediately. However, there wasn’t much they could do. She was eighteen, so they couldn’t force her. And they weren’t going to kick her out of the house, no way.

_It’s just a freak incident._ She assured herself as she jumped into Nick’s truck. _It won’t happen again. I’ll just need to replace the locks on the doors._

Her annoyance increased when she left the house thirty minutes later with a bag of clothes. She couldn’t find her favorite jacket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't come after me about the car issues, I don't know shit about auto mechanics. See ya next time!


	4. IMPATIENCE

The colder temperatures finally came around, soothing the hot afternoons Mattie was spending slaving away on the barn. She was up at six almost ever morning, going out to throw out old hay, animal dung, rotting food and termite-ridden wooden equipment. The work was exhausting, and she’d hit a wall. Literally. After consulting with her father, he’d opted to knock down the large wall separating the two halves of the barn and make it all open. Only setting up separate stalls for the horses, cows, and a pen for the pigs.

It had been a month since the break-in incident. As Mattie had predicted, her parents freaked out. Her mother begged her to return to Florida, but something in her resisted. She couldn’t just go running back to her parents every time something bad went down in her life. There would be break in’s and bad money situations and bad days. She couldn’t just give up, could she? And they’d catch whoever did it; Holland Valley had a population of _maybe_ two-hundred people.

The incident appeared to be isolated; nothing of the sort had happened after. So, two weeks of living with the Rye’s later, Mattie had returned to the old farmhouse. But things were different. Her parents called her every night, and it wasn’t unusual for Jerome to randomly pop in and see how she was doing. However, the young girl would be lying if she said it didn’t make her feel even just a little bit safer.

The weather wasn’t the only thing changing. As Mattie pulled on her warm clothing to go out to the barn that morning, she frowned as she saw more and more trucks taking the dirt road by her house up to the Seed’s new ranch. John had bought up half of Holland Valley, including some of the businesses. Augustine had expressed concern when she was there two weeks ago, saying the young lawyer came by several times a week to try and convince her. Mattie had tried to reassure the woman that it would let up eventually, but she found herself doubting her own words.

Jerome had mentioned that his congregation was dwindling. That was easily the weirdest thing, since Hope County had always been such a religious place. Mattie would’ve asked all her neighbors why they suddenly stopped, but it felt like she was seeing them less and less.

Were people finally just up and leaving the small Montana area?

The sun was peaking over the mountains as she began dragging the wheelbarrow back and forth from her truck to the barn. She would load up old wood and broken equipment that couldn’t be salvaged and lug it to her pickup in a wheelbarrow she’d just purchased.

It was rough work; the barn had become her grandfathers place to store anything that he didn’t want to look at, meaning it was filled with years’ worth of junk. Around eight o’clock, the October chill nipping at her nose and cheek bones, her phone pinged with a message from Mary-May.

Mary-May: _Hey, Jerome and I are on our way up to help you out. Don’t try and say no, I saw you throwing some heavy equipment into the dumpster_

Mattie rolled her eyes, but still thanked the older woman. She couldn’t turn down the idea of help right now; she was starting to run out of steam, and there was still so much work to do. Yanking off a thin glove, she texted back.

Mattie: _Ok, thank you!_

Mary-May: _I’m making some coffee; do you want me to bring you some when we get up the_

It wasn’t even a question; Mattie always wanted coffee. It could have been less than an hour before bed and she’d happily chug down a cup just to calm herself down.

It was strange how she craved it like that.

Mattie: _Yes please, with extra cream and sugar!_

Stuffing her phone away, the brunette teen started in on her chores again. But it couldn’t have been long before a voice scared her bad enough, she dropped the pile of wood she was carrying and nearly crushed her toes.

“Well, now, isn’t that such a beautiful sight.”

Her heart was still thundering in her chest as she whipped around to face the speaker, the pounding of the blood in her ears not letting up when she saw who was standing in the entrance to her family’s barn. Arms folded and leaning against the door frame, blue eyes roaming over her like she was a piece of art he’d stumbled upon.

“John,” Mattie greeted as politely as she could, licking her lips and crouching down to pick up the wood. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I’ve heard _all about_ the old Robertson place.” John brushed off, pushing himself off and taking a few steps into the building. “But I have to say, now that I’ve seen it for myself, I can’t help but wonder how such a stunning piece of property has sat this long without being claimed.”

His eyes never left hers as he spoke, his voice growing darker as he stepped further and further into the barn and towards her. Mattie’s hair on the back of her neck was standing on end, her stomach was turning and she felt sick. Her heart was pounding like a drum, her blood cold as she took a step back.

“Um, you know what, John, I- I don’t think you should be here.” She told him, fighting the waver in her voice. He stopped walking, eyebrows raising and cocking his head at her. She found courage in his silence and stood up a little straighter.

“You should go back home to that ranch that’s almost finished.” She leveled her eyes with his, clutching the wood in her hands tightly so as not to give away her shaking hands. “So- so go home. You’re not welcome on _my_ property.”

With that, she turned and stormed to the side door of the barn that led out to her truck. But as she moved to pull the door open with one hand, balancing the wood with the other, a large hand covered in tattoo’s smacked against it _hard._

_SLAM!_

The sound of the door slamming reverberated through the air, brought to a crescendo by the wood that toppled out of Mattie’s hands and at their feet. Her heart leapt to her throat as John stood before her, his hand pressed against the door and blocking her escape.

“And here I thought you were such a _nice_ little girl,” he cooed in a dark voice, leaning closer. She leaned back, her whole body beginning to tremble in fear and her skin growing cold as he spoke.

“But I see now that you’re like this fierce little _kitten_ ; such an adorable little thing, but with plenty of claws.” He hissed the last part, taking a major step into her personal space. She lunged back, her breathing picking up.

“Stay away from me.” She told him, trying to force her face into a snarl. But he only laughed.

“Stop _taunting_ me, _Mattie._ ” He whispered, eyes darkening as he stared down at her shaking form. “I want to see you _fight me-“_

His words were brought to a halt as the sound of a horn honking outside shattered the intensifying air between them. Mattie’s eyes grew wide, and before John could react, she bolted out the barn doors and towards the truck that was rumbling to a stop outside her house. As she ran forward, face white with fear, Mary-May and Jerome jumped out with wide eyes at the sight of the young girl.

“Mattie? What-?” Jerome started to ask, but his honorary niece ran to his side and clung to it, her green eyes shooting back to the barn as a figure stepped out.

John Seed.

Jerome could tell by the way Mattie was standing by him that something bad had happened, and he glared at the lawyer in front of him.

“This is private property, John. You’re not welcome. You’d best get home before I call the sheriff.”

The blue-eyed man chuckled, shaking his head. “If you say, pastor.” His eyes moved to Mattie, and he winked. “Always lovely to talk to you, Martha-Ann. I hope to again sometime-“

“We’re not asking, John. Get. Lost.” Mary-May ground out through her teeth, reaching up and winding a protective arm around her young friend’s shoulders. John’s jaw clenched as he was interrupted, but he appeared to notice how outnumbered he was.

Slowly, he raised his hands up in a surrendering motion and made for his truck. With one last glare in their direction, he took off down the road.

**SEED RANCH**

**GENERAL P.O.V**

Joseph Seed sat calmly at the mahogany desk in the living room of their new ranch. Specifically, it was John’s. His little brother had always had a love for the luxurious and the beautiful, however greedy or over-indulgent it was. Despite normally lecturing John for such actions, he held off.

He was in too good of a mood and decided to let his brother have this one thing.

Jacob sat across from him, sharpening a serrated knife on a wet stone. In this light, Joseph nearly flinched. Jacob looked more like their father than John or Joseph did, only sharing the azure blue eyes they’d all inherited from their mother. The dark, angry look that carried on his face at all times reminded Joseph so much of that furious, God-fearing man that raised them.

But Jacob was better. They were all better.

Joseph would make sure of that.

As he sat, going of his Book of Joseph and writing in his leather-bound journal, the doors to the ranch burst open and John came in. His face was pinched in fury, and he waved several workers out of the way that were carrying furniture up to the second story of the building.

“And what’s got your panties in a knot?” Jacob asked gruffly, not looking up from his knife. John didn’t say anything at first, merely grabbing a chair and sitting in it, shoulders hunched. Finally, he spoke.

“Joseph, I think obtaining Mattie will be much harder than anticipated.”

Joseph resisted the urge to sigh, merely closing his eyes and praying for patience. Jacob snorted, setting the knife down and settling his hands into his lap.

“I’m pretty sure Joe and I told you to leave her alone for now, Johnny. What the fuck did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything!” John protested loudly, looking more like a petulant teen and less like the full-grown, Ivy-League-educated-lawyer he was. “It’s just that she can depend on them so _completely._ What happens if something slips up, and one of them finds out what’s going on before we get her here?”

“I’ve already told you, John, have _faith._ ” Joseph admonished sternly. “I know what was told to me by the Voice when Mattie first entered that church. She is a gift; she is _our_ gift for seeking to save all of God’s children. She will be ours, brothers, but she is not yet aware of her potential. It will take time.”

John slammed his hands on the table and stood, pacing. “I can’t wait any longer, Joseph! To just have her walking around, so close yet so far _away…_ ” He ran a hand through his hair as he spoke, gripping some strands in frustration.

“Johnny might have a point, Joe.” Jacob chimed in gruffly, surprising the middle brother. Very rarely did Jacob ever agree wit his youngest sibling. “I mean, the girls too protected here. And we’re not gaining the trust of those closest to her. If we’re going to take her, it might have to be sooner than planned.”

Joseph sighed and shut the Book of Joseph, leaning back and taking off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. His brothers both suffered from impatience, something he himself found hard to avoid when he saw the object of their shared affection roaming around on her own, or working on her house, or smiling and laughing in the sunshine. It was even harder when he watched her bite or lick her lips, shy green eyes looking at the ground. He felt himself grow harder just thinking about it, thinking about _her,_ but he willed the thoughts down.

It wasn’t time yet.

“I have it planned out, brothers. We must finish Phase One first before we take her. She is still barely over seventeen. Taking her now would cause outrage, even among our group of followers. But if we wait, wait until we have convinced them of the truth of our words, they will be less likely to doubt.”

Neither Jacob nor John looked happy about it, but they didn’t push the issue.

But all of their minds were on a mental calendar, looking forward to one very specific date.

30 April, 2018.

**MATTIE P.O.V**

Mattie couldn’t tell if Hope County was going insane, or she was.

Jerome’s congregation seemed to dwindle further and further as October bled into November. As Mattie made plans to go spend the month of December with her mom and dad down in Florida, John Seed seemed to be buying up half of Holland Valley. Whenever she tried to question her unofficial uncle about it, Jerome tried to play it off and told her most folk were too busy to come to church.

But her heart ached every time she came to help set up for the service and saw the hurt on his face when he saw there was one less family than last week, one more empty pew. He still wouldn’t tell her where they were going to, and Mattie didn’t know where they _could_ go. The closest church after this one was in Missoula.

But not ever day was so bad.

As they neared Thanksgiving, Mattie had a flight going out of Missoula and was packing up to leave when she got the text from Kim. She told the younger woman she had a present for her, one she really needed her to come and get in person before she left.

Mattie had maybe five hours until her flight left, and it was a two-and-a-half-hour drive to Missoula airport. But she couldn’t find it in herself to say no, and sure enough, she was seated on the Rye’s couch not twenty-minutes later.

“Kim, what _is it_?” The teen asked, exasperated. But Kim only smiled so big it seemed to take up half of her face and she bounded back into the kitchen, grabbing something. Mattie turned to Nick, holding out her hands in confusion. “Nick? What’s going on?”

“Don’t worry, kiddo.” He reassured her, putting an arm around Kim’s shoulder’s as she came running back with a box wrapped in blue and pink wrapping paper. “I think you’ll love it.”

“Ok, ok!” Kim exclaimed excitedly, holding out the gift. “Open it!”

Mattie cocked an eyebrow but accepted the box with a smile anyway. Unwrapping the white ribbon, she tore at the wrapping paper to reveal a white, flat box. Like when you got clothing as a gift.

“Um, you got me some _clothes…_?” Mattie trailed off, confused but not wanting to sound ungrateful. After all, a gift was a gift. “Thanks you guys-“

“No!” Kim groaned, waving her hands at the box wildly. “Open it! I promise it’ll all make sense then!”

Mattie sighed, but popped the lid off and pulled out a piece of red and blue cloth that read in big bold letters, _I’m my aunties favorite!_

“Read it out loud!” Kim nearly crowed, practically shaking with excitement, and Mattie only cocked her head to the side as she did.

“I’m my aun- OH MY GOSH!” She shrieked, jumping to her feet. Nick had flinched away, but Kim only laughed and nodded.

“YOU’RE PREGNANT!”

“YEP!”

“OH MY GOSH, YOU’RE _PREGNANT!”_

The two friends all but lunged at each other, hugging and jumping up and down in excitement. Their shrieking was enough to make Nick grab his ear, wincing at the high-pitched noises.

“Ah, yeah, we thought you’d be excited.” He said but was drowned out by the women. They were talking so fast about baby plans he almost didn’t notice the clock. But when he did, he smirked and turned to his wife’s young friend.

“Hey, Mattie?”

“Yeah? What?”

“What time is it?”

“Oh, it’s half-past- OH SHIT! Shit, I gotta go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so it's a filler, but it's next chapter and onward that shit really picks up, I promise!  
> Also, I know that the Seed's have technically been in Hope County for several years in the game, but I'm doing this my way and this story is going to be pretty AU and that means an alternate timeline.  
> Also, I messed up Matties b-day. It's supposed to be 1999, not 2000. Thanks for catching that, and I hope you guys liked this chapter!


	5. CHASING THE HIGH

_Over one month later…_

Christmas in Southern Florida wasn’t like most places; there was no snow, no hot cocoa or sweater parties. There were mostly barbecues and pool parties, and the most common presents were items relating to swim wear. Mattie herself had received three new bikinis, some new SCUBA equipment, (since she’d gotten certified) and new jewelry from her parents.

The holidays were fun and seeing her mom’s side of the family was always her favorite. They were the side of the family she’d been raised with; she was extremely close with all of her cousins, and she enjoyed getting to see them in person and not on a computer screen. But alas, nothing was forever. Before she knew it, it was two weeks into January and she was on her connecting flight to Denver, and then to Missoula. There, Mary-May would be picking her up from the airport and driving her back to Hope County.

Though she was sad to leave again, Mattie couldn’t help but feel hopeful for the new year. She had so many plans for the house, so many new ideas for decoration and redoing the barn. Overall, she just couldn’t wait to get back to Montana. She missed the rolling mountains, how close the wildlife was, the trips in Nick’s plane as he showed her the sights from up above. Despite promising her parents she’d return to her hometown once she was done with the house, part of her wondered: Was it really that bad of a place to make a life? She had friends, close connections, and it was a much lower crime rate than Florida.

More and more, Hope County was starting to truly feel like home.

But Hope County wasn’t how Mattie left it.

As soon as she got in Mary-May’s truck, Mattie knew something was wrong. There were dark, pronounced circles under the blonde’s eyes, and her movements were slower, as if her body was stiff. Whenever Mattie asked about certain people, Mary-May would go rigid and change the subject. Finally, halfway through the drive, the teen had to confront her; she begged the older woman to tell her what was going on.

“Oh, darlin’,” Mary-May started, looking over at her with sad green eyes, “Jerome wanted me to wait, he wanted to help explain, but…” she sighed, “But I just can’t stand the thought of you coming back here without knowin’.” She paused, then shook her head. “We were all hopin’ you’d stay in Florida. I nearly called your parents, but I knew that would just cause an argument.”

“Tell them what? What’s going on?” Mattie felt dread beginning to curl in the pit of her stomach.

Mattie had been hoping that Mary-May was exaggerating, but evidently, she wasn’t.

As they drove through Hope County towards Holland Valley, the teen felt a lump in her throat as she stared out across the mountains. Homes and barns were being torn down, animals had either been shot or abandoned, and people who would normally wave and smile at her merely turned to watch them drive by with blank, emotionless stares before returning to their tasks.

That is, the ones she _saw._ It didn’t escape her notice that over half of the people she’d known within the valley were suddenly gone. Their homes were completely empty, their cars abandoned, doors unlocked.

Hope County was starting to resemble a ghost town.

The Seed’s had bought almost all of it. When Mattie asked if they could stop for some of Augustine’s cornbread, Mary-May regretfully informed her that she’d sold her store to John Seed and disappeared with the rest shortly after. When Mattie asked if they’d called the police, the older woman told her they’d called the police for ever disappearance. But it didn’t matter. All of the townspeople that left were alive; they had left on purpose.

And everyone else knew exactly where they’d gone.

Joseph called it the Project at Eden’s Gate. They’d already started building a compound. Right now, it was just a bunch of trailers with community bathrooms. At least, that’s what an inside source had told them. But they were using the abandoned white chapel up on the hill, (which was surprising, Mattie thought for sure that thing had been torn down after decades of abandonment). They learned that the Seed’s had been sinking their claws into the population since they first arrived in town.

First, it was the social pariahs. The released inmates, the addicts, the few homeless that lived in the county, the ones that didn’t have any real support system. Then it bled to their acquaintances and nearby family members. Promises of a home, of community, of love. Parents and siblings didn’t want their loved ones going into a church alone, so they went with them. Next thing they knew, they enjoyed going.

And that was how it had gone for nearly six months, now.

Mattie felt like an idiot; no, worse than that, she felt just plain sick. A fucking _cult_ had been forming for nearly half a year now, and yet, no one had noticed. She sure as hell wasn’t comfortable around any of the Seeds, but she’d just assumed they were creepy and that was that.

She hadn’t known they could be… _this._

And little did she know that it was about to get so much worse.

The beginning of March dawned on the state of Montana with rain, rain, and some more rain.

That was weird, as the most common time for rain fall was in late summer and early fall. Despite loving the dark clouds and sharp chill, Mattie couldn’t help but scowl at the sky as she drove her pick-up to Rae-Rae’s. It felt like the damn Seed’s ruined everything around them, including the weather.

The sale of Augustine’s General Store had put the rest of Holland Valley in a very tough position. She no longer ran the store or sold anything out of it, which meant nearly all food had to be purchased directly from the farms. Obviously, Mattie had no issues with this. But she couldn’t help the annoyance that clawed at her when she stared longingly at the cabinet where her Apple Jacks used to reside.

_Fucking peggies._

It was a nickname Nick seemed to have started. Project at Eden’s Gate had become P.E.G, then they started saying PEG, and then the Rye pilot was taunting the cult members with a new nickname at the end of February. Now, nearly three weeks later, it had stuck.

The sun was going down as the old red pickup shuddered to a stop outside of the pumpkin farm. The cloudy skies weren’t helping either. Hugging her thick jacket closer around her long-sleeve t-shirt, Mattie jumped out and bounded over to the steps, boots squelching in the fresh mud.

She knocked, albeit a bit frantically due to the cold, and hadn’t been waiting on the steps for more than three minutes before it was thrown open.

“Why, Martha-Ann! Get in here, you’re going to freeze your little ears off!”

Rae-Rae Jackson was a woman in her late thirties with short blonde hair and a dazzling smile. Despite her age, you could always catch her in something stylish or a little over-the-top. It only seemed to add to her warmth, though. She’d been a close friend of Mattie’s mother, and when she’d been left there on her own, Rae-Rae had sworn she’d be feeding the teen every time she saw her.

“Here you go, warm yourself up while I get the basket.” Rae instructed her, stationing the teen in front of the furnace while she moved into the kitchen. Mattie smiled a little and pulled off her gloves to blow warm air onto her fingers in hopes of getting some feeling back to them as the sound of whooping and a dog’s playful yelp met her ears.

“Oh, hey, Mattie!” Rae’s son, a fourteen-year-old named Phillip Jackson Jr., came busting around the corner, covered in mud. Mattie tried to stifle her laughter as Boomer, the families Australian Shepherd, stumbled in after him. The two had obviously been caught in the most recent downpour, and there was mud smeared all over the hard-wood floor. As if to add insult to injury, Boomer barked again and shook his thick coat. Mud splattered everywhere, and Mattie and Phil shrieked.

“Ah, Boomer!”

“Oh my gosh!”

“Oh, that damn dog!” Rae-Rae cursed, coming back from the kitchen carrying a small wicker basket filled with fresh bread covered by a clean, white clot. “I swear, I’m mopping up mud every hour with him.”

“But you love him, mom!” Phil chimed in, wiping at his face and successfully smearing more mud across his forehead. Rae rolled her eye as Mattie tried to hold in her laughter and refocused her attention on warming up her hands.

“My goodness, you stink! Go get in that shower, go on!” She shooed her son off to the bathroom. The teen muttered but didn’t need to be told twice. After he was gone, Rae turned to Mattie with softer eyes.

“I wanted to ask you, darlin’; are you ok by yourself?” She cast a look over her shoulder at the bathroom, where they both could hear the shower turning on. “You know, with… everything?”

“Don’t worry about me, Rae-Rae. I’ve got Whitehorse, Jerome, Mary-May, and the Rye’s all looking out for me. Plus, I’ve got my dad’s gun. I’m fine.” She looked at the bathroom door and the back at the older woman, lowering her voice. “What have you told him?”

Rae-Rae sighed, suddenly looking older than she had previously. She reached up and rubbed her eyes as she spoke.

“Parts of the truth, I guess. He’s still too young to know everything that’s going on, but I can’t just let him go around like everything’s fine. I don’t think it’ll get too bad, so long as those damn cult members keep to themselves.”

Mattie tried not to wince. It wasn’t that she held any love in her heart for the Project, or any empathy, either. But it hurt to suddenly be fighting those you used to care about, used to watch out for.

Biting her lip, she reached out and rubbed the woman’s shoulder. “Well, don’t worry. I’m sure-“

Her words of reassurance were suddenly cut short by the sound of Boomer going insane. The dog began scratching at the wood door and barking his head off, and finally managed to bang the unlatched screen door hard enough that it popped open and he took off outside, barking all the way.

“Oh, shit! Boomer!” Rae-Rae ran to the door, frantically pulling on her boots. But she fell over, nearly cracking her head on the furnace. “Shit!”

“Here, I’ll get him!” Mattie cried, grabbing her keys and bolting towards her truck. “You stay here in case he comes back!”

Jumping into the cab, her truck roared to life and she took off after the dog. But the sun was slowly setting, and the dark clouds over their heads didn’t help. Soon, she found herself pulling to a stop at the edge of the pumpkin field as Boomer’s lithe, furry figure grew smaller and smaller. Cursing up a storm, she grabbed the large flashlight from her glove compartment and hopped down from the driver’s seat.

“Boomer! Boomer, come back!” Her boots squelched loudly in the mud as she dodged budding fruits, knowing Rae would take her head off if she crushed any of their hard labor. “Boomer! Get back here, damn it!”

But the dog paid her no mind. He must have caught on to a squirrel or something of the sort, because he continued to chase something through the pumpkin patch in zig-zagging patterns.

“Ugh, you stupid-“ 

“Do you need help, Martha?”

The voice made her yelp, swinging around so violently her long braid nearly hit her in the face. Standing about fifteen feet away, Joseph Seed watched her. His blue eyes were bare this time, his beard trimmed neatly and his long hair pulled back into a bun against his head.

Mattie immediately felt her muscles tense up. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Joseph merely cocked his head at her. “Whatever do you mean, child?”

“You can’t be here.” She told him bluntly, fighting the waiver in her voice and clenching her fists so he couldn’t see the tremble of her hands. “This is private property.”

“Well, where you’re standing is. I’m afraid I am still within the road.”

Mattie’s eyes narrowed when she saw that he was technically right. His booted feet were at the very edge of the patch, but they weren’t off the road. Technically, he wasn’t on the property. But that didn’t mean he could stay. She felt a sudden flare of anger when she thought about what this man was doing to their town, to the good people that lived there.

“You can’t just go where you want, you know. You can’t just kidnap people and take their property.”

Joseph paused, then smiled at her. She hated it. It was a pitiful smile, one that you would see an adult giving to a child that was offering their opinion on something they didn’t quite understand yet.

“It pains me that they’ve lied to you about our project here, Martha-Ann. I truly want the best for all of God’s children, and that means leading them back to the light. I am preparing them.”

“Preparing them for what?”

He didn’t answer. Just kept smiling at her.

His stare was beginning to really creep her out, and she shuffled back a little. “Look, you can’t just stand there. Why don’t you go plan some bullshit sermon or something and leave me be, ok? Leave us all alone.”

As she spoke, something in Joseph’s eyes darkened. He stepped towards her, beginning to close the distance at an alarming rate. His voice was low as he spoke.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Martha. I don’t think I could ever leave you alone.”

He was close enough now that Mattie began to back up, feeling her muscles coil and the little voice in her head begin to set off warning bells-

Loud snarling and angry barks interrupted them. Joseph stopped dead when Boomer came thundering towards them, his paws kicking up mud as he skidded to a stop in between the two. His brown eyes were turned towards Joseph, his body tensing as he stepped in front of Mattie and growled loudly. His lips pulled back, revealing a long set of sharp teeth. He growled again, as if warning Joseph against taking another step.

The middle Seed brother didn’t look scared. More like mildly annoyed. But he only looked up from the dog standing guard of the girl behind it and smiled at Mattie.

“I’ll be seeing you again, my dear. Have a pleasant evening.”

Mattie didn’t move a muscle until he was far enough away. Her eyes followed him, every part of her body tensed and ready as he moved away from her. Once he was finally a small figure in the distance, she released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Her limbs slackened, and Boomer _whimpered, nudging her hand with his snout._

The cold wetness of his nose made her jump a little, but she crouched next to him and scratched his head, eyes still on the fading man.

“Good job, Boomer.” She praised quietly, trying not to let the fear inside of her choke her voice. It was over.

For now.  
  


_There she was, laid up beneath him._

_Her dark brown hair was spread around her like a halo, her dark green eyes screwed shut as her plump lips flew open. Long, pleasurable, drawn out moans were filling the air around them._

_He was rabid, he couldn’t control himself. He was moving faster and faster, her legs were clamped around his waist. He couldn’t stop his own noise; grunting and groaning as the feeling of being inside of her shot jolts up and down his spine. He couldn’t remember anything that felt this good._

_She dug her nails into his back and suddenly lifted her hips, meeting him. He shuddered and felt his movements pick up. She moaned again, this time managing to form a coherent word._

_“Joseph…”_

_The sound of her saying his name spurred him on, and he felt himself lose control. His movements grew erratic, more desperate, and the feeling began to build. She moaned his name one more time, and he felt himself approach the edge-_

And then he woke up.

He shot up halfway in bed, his fingers clenching around the sheets. A thin sheen of sweat had built up across his skin, and as he came down from the high of the dream, he could still smell her in the air.

He groaned in frustration at the pressure in between his legs; he was painfully aroused. Falling back into bed, he closed his eyes and pictured her. He could still see her, still remember the dream so clearly. Her voice, her scent, the feeling of her, it had all been _so real._ Unable to help it anymore, he lifted his hand and immediately began stroking himself. Not even five minutes later, he finished with a shudder, her name falling from his lips.

But it wasn’t enough.

He couldn’t take it. None of them could. She was _so close_ , and she was almost ready for them. Maybe Joseph was being too greedy, but he actually found it hard to care. All he could think about was her. She was a special kind of addiction, a drug he’d never had before yet somehow couldn’t stop craving.

And so, he grabbed his radio. It was a special one, with its own frequency to give them some semblance of privacy when they spoke about certain things. Jacob and John were up, he knew they were. He was always the first to fall asleep.

“Jacob. John.”

The radio beeped and some quiet static followed before his eldest brother’s voice came on. _“Yeah, Joe?”_

_“I’m here, Joseph.”_

He took several minutes, trying to steady his breathing. Finally, he spoke again.

“John, gather the men you’ve selected. There’s been a change of plans.”

He paused.

“We take her tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all are ready!


	6. TAKEN

Night descended on the country landscape.

It had been dark for several hours as an old red pickup rumbled loudly, tire crunching along the dirt road as it pulled up outside of a large farmhouse. The engine died, and a young woman jumped out. She was wearing warm clothing for the cold; a thick black jacket around her frame with a colorful, handknit hat on her head, small hands clad in worn down red gloves. She blew furiously on her hands as she rushed up the steps to her home, keys jangling. Making quick work of the lock, the young woman bounded inside, locking it behind her.

It was a good thing, too. If she’d been out there for a few more seconds, she would have seen the dark figure. It slinked quietly through the cold, still air, stopping at her truck. The figure began to mess with the hood, fingers moving expertly to find the release trigger. Finally, the hood popped open.

The figure only tinkered with the engine for a few short seconds before they were done. Closing the hood and hiding their work as quietly as possible, they slipped away again.

Mattie jolted awake.

It took a second for her to get her bearings; she was in her bedroom, and it was dark outside. Her messy room was shrouded in shadows, but the faint light of the full moon lit it just enough to create dark shapes of the furniture. She was still buried underneath two quilts, and she blinked in confusion, trying to rid her eyes of the sleepiness that blurred them. The alarm clock on the bedside table read 1:07 a.m.

What woke her up?

It had to have been something, she hadn’t been dreaming. Had she? No, she hadn’t. Now that she thought about it, she could have sworn it was a noise. But she didn’t know what noise.

It was then she realized how dry her mouth was, and she slowly got out bed, wincing at the stiffness in her limbs. It had been a lot of heavy lifting the day before.

Tugging on a sweatshirt, she stumbled down the hallway and to the stairs, rubbing her eyes as she turned on the kitchen light. She still wasn’t fully awake as she grabbed a glass and stuck it under the faucet, her eyes feeling heavier and heavier as she took several gulps.

She jumped in surprise when cold water suddenly sloshed onto her neck and the front of her sweatshirt.

“Fuck…” She muttered quietly, shrugging off the garment and tossing it onto the couch as she wiped off her neck. The cold air met her skin, bringing her out of her tired state and sending goosebumps across her skin. She was only in a thin white tank and some old sweatpants, having barely managed to get dressed before she’d collapsed into bed. The past few days had been exhausting, and she was starting to wonder if-

_Why was that door unlocked?_

Mattie froze, her muscles tightening under her tank as she slowly turned to her right, green eyes leveling at the French doors that led out onto her back patio.

She was positive that door had been locked.

She locked them every night at ten o’clock, religiously. If she was going to bed or not, she went around and made sure every single door and window was secured. It wasn’t that Hope County or Falls End was in any way dangerous; it wasn’t. Or at least, it hadn’t been. But she’d been raised in southern Florida; a strong sense of paranoia was a given.

The floorboards creaked underneath her bare feet as she walked to the backdoor, reaching up and locking the deadbolt, followed by the doorknob. The sound of the lock sliding into place should have made her feel better, but it didn’t. There was a tension in the air, a vibration of paranoia that snuck into her skin and up her bones. Her heart was pounding, eyes moving over every little detail of her home as she looked around.

Nothing looked out of place, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. She continued to move silently throughout the home, turning on lights and opening closets. Each room was empty, safe, and hadn’t been disturbed.

Eventually, Mattie ended up back in the kitchen. She reached up and ran a hand through her hair, trying to calm her pounding heart. There was no one in the house besides her; maybe she should just go back to bed-

_Creak._

Her hand froze halfway through her locks, tightening on the brown strands. She hadn’t imagined that; she was sure of it. It was a floorboard, somewhere above her. Right above the kitchen was her own room-

_Creak, creak, creak_.

_Thump, thump, thump._

Horror rose in Mattie’s stomach, flushing through her bloodstream and kicking in her fight or flight response. There was someone above her, someone in her bedroom. She immediately began to move as quietly as she could, moving to grab her keys and boots and take off out the door. If she could make it to her truck, she could get into town, to safety and call the police. They’d take too long to get out there, they always did. If she hid and called them, it would easily take about fifteen minutes. She’d possibly be dead by then.

“She’s here. Look for her.”

The man’s voice was unfamiliar, but it didn’t alleviate the terror in her bones. They were looking for her, specifically for her. Who were they?

Right as her hand began to hover over her keys, a voice just around the corner nearly made her jump out of her skin.

“First floor bathroom is clear. Her truck’s still here, so she should be, too.”

She dove into the closet and closed the door as quietly as she could, and just in time.

A figure walked around the corner, touting a gun. In the sliver of the closet door, she saw a ratty white sweater with a familiar black symbol on it. Her heart rate sped up.

_Fucking peggies._

“Looks like her phones here, too.” The peggie noted, pointing to the charging iPhone on her counter. “So, she couldn’t have gotten far, wherever she is.”

“I didn’t ask you where you _think_ she is, I said _find her_.”

Mattie’s hand flew up to her mouth, covering her choked cry before it could leave her mouth. John Seed stepped into view, dressed in his traditional boots, jeans, and brown coat. His icy blue eyes were roaming over every detail of her home, and he nodded to the two peggies standing in the kitchen.

“Go check in every bathroom, especially the ones with windows. She may have crawled out.”

The peggies did as they were told without any hesitation, and it brought goosebumps to Mattie’s skin. If he told them to eviscerate her right then and there, would they be so willing? All for a man they’d met less than a year ago?

She stayed frozen in the closet, desperate for John to move on so she could book it out the door. But he stayed, walking around her living room. It felt like he was taunting her, getting so close to her hiding spot and then walking away. Did he know she was there? He hadn’t given any indication.

Suddenly, he stopped behind her couch, his back to the closet. Her eyes followed his hands to see them grabbing something off the couch.

_My sweatshirt._

She couldn’t see his expression, but horror curled in her chest and gut when he pressed the fabric against his face and inhaled deeply before slowly exhaling.

“Oh, Mattie…” He called out in a sing-song voice, and a tear ran down her face. What the fuck was he doing?

“I’m not going to hurt you, my sweet girl.” He reassured, but her blood ran colder at his tone. He was messing with her, and his version of hurting someone was much different than a normal person. “I know you’re in here somewhere, and I know you can hear me. Now, be a good girl and come out of hiding so I can take you home.”

_Take me home? What the hell was he talking about?_

Suddenly, a loud thump sounded down the hall. John’s head moved sharply towards the sound, blue eyes narrowing in on it like a viper. He immediately walked down the hall, the sound of his footsteps fading until they were gone completely.

She sat there for another minute or so, heart pounding. Was he gone? She couldn’t hear or see him anymore. But then again, the entire house was silent. Should she risk it?

_They’re checking the closets. If I stay here, they’ll find me for sure._

She sat for another thirty seconds, holding her breath. Listening, watching. But the house was just as silent as it was before they came.

_Did they leave?_

Slowly, she reached forward and placed her hand on the closet door, pushing it open. It swung soundlessly, and she stepped out. The floorboards barely creaked under her light frame and bare feet. Her breath was coming out in panicked pants as she walked forward, hand outstretched for her keys-

By the time she registered the hand on her arm, her back had met the persons broad chest. Her mouth opened, but another large hand clamped down over it, stifling the scream in her throat. The hand on her arm let go and snaked around her waist, arm anchoring her to her captor.

“Shhhhh, it’s ok, Mattie.”

John’s breath fanned over her cheek as he whispered in her ear, and she whimpered, squirming against his hold. But he only held her tighter, and she jumped and whimpered louder when he buried his nose in her hair, inhaling deeply again.

“Oh, you smell _so good_ …” He groaned, and his nose moved down to the junction between her neck and shoulder. “But don’t worry, sweet girl, I won’t take you right here. I have to take you home first.”

He took his mouth off her mouth, and she immediately screamed. “Help! Help me, please! Some-!”

His hand clamped over her mouth again, but this time his voice was angry and his movements were rougher. “We’re about a mile away from your nearest neighbors, Mattie. You can scream all you want, but it will only _upset me_.” He jostled her, and she whimpered as she felt bruises forming on her waist. “And I don’t think you want that, do you?”

She shook her head, panting against his hand. He relaxed it, then removed it completely. She heard him shuffling for something in his coat, but as he shifted, her eyes caught onto the toolbox, still open from her efforts to fix some sink pipes earlier that week. A screwdriver sat above the rest of the tools.

No time to think.

Lunging forward, her hand wrapped around the screwdriver before John had the chance to realize what was going on. With a shout, she slammed the tool into John’s arm with everything in her.

He screamed in fury and agony, letting go of her almost immediately. Not bothering to turn back, she took off for the door, grabbing her keys in the process. Her phone and the shotgun were both behind John; trying to get that close again would be suicide. She bolted outside, the cold ground stinging her bare feet as she fumbled with the main key to her truck. She heard John cursing and shrieking, but she didn’t dare look back. She could barely get the key into the hole before she flung the door open and threw herself inside. Slamming her hand on the lock, she scrambled with the key to get it into the truck’s ignition, turning it, ready to throw it into drive when she heard the sound of the engine.

But it never came.

Dead noises of an engine struggling to turn over met her ears, and her stomach dropped in unadulterated dread. “No, no, no!” She cried, smacking her hands against the steering wheel. “No, come on!”

A bloodied hand smacked against the window and she screamed, rearing back. John was outside the window, looking absolutely livid as he tugged at the door handle.

“Mattie, open this door! Open this fucking door right now!” He screamed at her in fury, a vein in his forehead throbbing. She shook her head, nearly in hysterics as she fought to make the truck start.

“No, no get away! Get away from me!” She shrieked, but he grabbed his revolver, leveling it with the window. Mattie’s eyes widened and she threw herself onto the seat just in time for the shot to pop off, shattering her drives side window, and because of the point-blank range, her passengers side window as well.

She raised her legs and began kicking his hand, wigging back towards the passenger door as he leaned in and unlocked the door, flinging it open. Her feet made contact with his hands, arms, and even his chest as she wiggled away from him, pressing against the passenger door and grabbing at the handle for security. She grabbed for the edge of the window, trying to pull herself through, but he kept making contact with her skin before she kicked him off again, interrupting her escape plan.

“Get away! Don’t touch me! Help!” She screamed, but he managed to clamp a hand on her ankle and violently yanked her towards him, a look of twisted satisfaction on his face. As he got closer, she reared her other foot back and threw it forward with all her might, cracking it against the side of his head.

He shouted in pain, but this time, his grip didn’t falter. Instead, he climbed into the seat with her, situating himself on top of the screaming, crying girl. Forcing her knees apart, he settled between her legs, hands grabbing her wrists and pinning them above her.

“No! No, get off! Help me! Please, someone!” Mattie sobbed and screamed, but John just sat panting above her. His left forearm was soaked in blood and a bruise was forming on the right side of his face, but he smirked in triumph as he pinned her to the seat.

“No one can hear you, sweet girl.” He cooed, leaning down until his face was directly above hers. She turned her head, still crying, not wanting him near her. But instead, he pressed his face into her neck and she sobbed as she felt his lips there, biting and sucking at the skin. “Scream all you like, Mattie.” He ground his hips into hers and groaned. Mattie sobbed harder at the bulge she felt against her thighs, disgust and panic flushing her bloodstream and making it hard to think straight.

“I love it when you scream for me.” He told her, and finally raised himself up. She continued to cry, still trying to wiggle in his hold, but he was too strong. He moved her wrists and held them both in one of his hands while the other reached into his coat, pulling out a syringe. The sight of it made her panic and thrash more, her screams rising in pitch.

“No! No, please, please don’t hurt me!” She begged, but he shushed her again, tapping the side of the syringe before flipping around in his hand.

“This might sting.” He told her with a terrifying grin, and that was all she remembered before something pricked the side of her neck, and then she was gone.

It was the sound that finally woke her.

She was in a dark, dreamless sleep. Her limbs weighed a million pounds, her head even more. She tried to move, but she couldn’t. She was on something soft. Too soft. It was suffocating her.

The sound got louder, and her limbs weighed a little less. The softness was a little more stifling, but she could twitch her fingers. She rubbed their pads on the closest thing to her. Silk. Silk what? She didn’t own silk sheets. When did she fall asleep last night? Can’t remember…

The sound was slowly increasing in volume, bit by bit. It was changing pitch and tone, and as she slowly got closer to the light behind her eyes, she realized the sound was a voice. No. Voices, plural. They were far away, not in the room with her, but she could hear them.

_Am I dreaming?_

She shifted again, this time managing to lifter her hand and part of her forearm. She squinted, feeling her eyelashes flutter against her cheeks.

_No. This isn’t like any dream I’ve had before._

_Open your eyes._

_Open your eyes._

_Wake up!_

Her eyelids flew open, and she was greeted with a white ceiling.

It wasn’t hers, and a slow confusion festered in her gut. She shifted in bed, feeling the silk fabric under her hand again. Wait, silk? That wasn’t a dream then. Where was she?

The more aware the became, the more she felt the confusion begin to transform. Her heart started beating faster, and she looked around the room, her muscles groaning in protest as she saw what was around her. White walls, four-poster king bed. Silk white sheets, fluffy white comforter. Dark brown wood on all the furniture. It was a bed, an armoire, a dresser, and a nightstand. Another door was off to the left, about ten feet away. The room was pretty big, but she couldn’t focus on that.

Mattie sat up, and a chill swept across her skin. Looking down, confusion turned to terror.

_What the hell was that?_

It wasn’t her nightgown, she didn’t own nightgowns. It was cream and silky, pooling around the tops of her thighs as she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. It was lacy and low-cut; way more than she would ever wear. And it wasn’t comfortable, either. It scratched at the skin of her breasts, the thin straps falling loosely over her shoulders despite how much she put them back up.

_How did I-_

And then she remembered.

_The intruders. The chase. John…_

Her heart rocketed into her throat, eyes beginning to burn and her breathing picking up. She was panicking, standing from the bed and looking around frantically. There was a singe window in the room. But as she pulled at it, she realized it had been painted shut. Looking out the window, she recognized the part of the forest she was seeing.

_I’m still in Hope County._

Her clothes were nowhere to be found, and the door was locked. The other door turned out to be a large bathroom, but it didn’t even have a window, and the vent was too small to fit in. Mattie staggered back into the room, tugging at her hair and tears began to spill down her face.

_Where am I-?_

The sound of a lock clicking made her jump, and she saw with wide eyes the knob was turning. Slowly, tauntingly, it swung open.

And in walked her worst nightmare.


	7. WHAT FRESH HELL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, three updates in three days. I spoil y'all, truly.  
> *Pointedly ignores all other stories that desperately need an update*  
> WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS RAPE AND INAPPROPRIATE SUBJECT MATTER. I WILL PLACE LINE BREAKS TO WARN YOU WHEN THE SCENE IS APPROACHING. THIS IS YOUR TW, SKIP THE SCENE IF IT'S GOING TO UPSET YOU. THERE WILL BE ANOTHER SCENE RIGHT AFTER THAT MIGHT BE UPSETTING, I WILL PUT WARNINGS BEFORE THAT ONE AS WELL. PLEASE SKIP IF YOU NEED TO, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

_This isn’t happening._

It was all Mattie could think. She kept pinching her skin, squinting her eyes and trying to focus on waking up. This was a dream. That’s all it was. A horrific, terrifying, inhuman, merciless dream. And she would wake up soon, and go to see Jerome, Mary-May, and the Rye’s downtown. She’d get some Apple Jacks from Augustine’s General Store and do some more work on the house. The Seed brothers would be a strange story from this dream that she’d tell Mary-May about when she was helping her sweep up the Spread Eagle, who’d chastise her about eating cold food before going to bed.

And then she’d finish the house, go home to Florida, and her life would continue.

But that wasn’t what happened.

The reality was she was currently sitting at a large dinner table with a plate of untouched food in front of her, slowly growing cold. Watery potatoes soaked in chunky brown gravy was bleeding into the slab of mystery meat on the edge of her plate, and overly salted green beans completed the meal.

She’d been changed out of the nightgown she woke up in. It had been into another dress, but at least this one was a little more modest. It was olive green with a fitted top and a light, flowy skirt. Thin spaghetti straps kept it up, which was a relief since it was already a bit low cut. Golden buttons ran down the front all the way to the end of the skirt, which she kept pulling over her knees. It never stopped it from riding up over them and exposing her thighs again.

She could feel the threes sets of blue eyes burning her skin, but she didn’t dare look up. She was scared if she met their gaze she’d lose her nerve and have a meltdown right then; she was teetering on the edge enough as it is.

She heard Joseph sigh, and then saw him place his fork and knife down out of the corner of her eye.

“You need to eat, Mattie.”

She ignored him, continuing to stare at her plate. She heard John sigh as well, sounding slightly less sad and more annoyed, and she had to fight to keep from glaring at him. She could still see his forearm was wrapped in clean white bandages, and some pride swelled in her chest.

She’d take the small victories.

When he was met with silence, Joseph blew air through his nose and reached over. Seeing his hand out of the corner of her eye made Mattie flinch away, but his hand clamped down on her wrist before she could move too far. She avoided his gaze, but felt his fingers curl firmly over her skin as his thumb stroked the back of her hand.

“I know this must be such a large adjustment for you, my dear, but you could be so happy with us.” He reached over with the other hand and grasped her chin. It was soft enough to not be considered aggressive, but with enough force to leave no question as he turned her head towards him.

“All we want to do is love you.” His eyes moved from her own to her lips and darkened visibly. His thumb came up, tracing her bottom lip. “We want to know you; you were meant for us the moment you were born. But don’t worry.” He smiled calmly at her, and Mattie felt terror swell in her stomach.

“In time, you will learn to love us, too. I’m sure of it.”

Mattie continued to keep quiet through out dinner, still not touching her food. No matter how much Joseph encouraged her or the veiled threats that Jacob and John threw her way could change her mind. Just the thought of eating something caused the urge to vomit rush through her.

They had all had dinner at the Ranch, but from what she understood, that was only a twice a week thing. They met every Sunday and Wednesday for a ‘family dinner’. Joseph insisted on it, and from what John had said in passing when they first sat down, it sounded like he did it mostly since she was there, now. As dinner wrapped up, they gathered in the living room and she learned what the plan was.

They had to have been planning this for ages; there was little to no discussion about how things would go. She would go with each brother, oldest to youngest, in between dinners. Then, when they met, she’d be passed off to the next one.

Mattie was going to puke; truly, she was. All she could do was sit in horrified silence as Joseph patted Jacob’s shoulder and wished him a wonderful few days with their new love. John was grumbling and clearly upset with the whole arrangement, but as he and Joseph said their goodbye’s, he grinned at her, eyes tracing down her body with a terrifying glint.

“I’ll see you in a week, sweet girl.” His hands ghosted over her waist as he hugged her tightly, possessively, and disappeared up the stairs. Joseph pressed a gentle kiss to her brow, and then he was gone as well.

She suddenly felt heat at her back, and then large hands came on her shoulders, squeezing slightly.

“Let’s get going, kitten.”

Jacob didn’t say anything on the drive up to the Whitetails. He kept his hand clamped on her thigh, though, and she couldn’t tell if it was out of lust or to make sure she didn’t throw open the door and jump out.

Mattie wanted to. But she also knew better. They were going too fast and the ground was covered in debris. If she jumped out and broke a foot or her leg, it would piss Jacob off and destroy any other chances of escape.

But as they drove further up the mountains, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was losing her chance. It was dark and hard to see. If she could just lose him, he might not be able to track her down. She’d hunted in these mountains with her grandpa and father at least fifty times, she knew her way back down. And she was less than half Jacob’s size, which gave her an advantage at staying quiet.

They came around a turn to the curving road that would take them to the top, towards the Veterans Center, and Jacob cursed as the road grew bumpy.

“Damn potholes.” He cursed and let go of her leg to turn the wheel, avoiding a particularly large one. His speed dropped, and the realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

_This is it! This is my chance!_

Thanking whatever deity above that had granted her this blessing, she acted. All at once, she slammed her hand on the lock, threw open the door, and flung herself onto the ground.

She heard Jacob shout in fury and alarm, but she didn’t bother to look back. She’d landed on her hands and knees, sending pain ricocheting through her bones. But she scrambled to her feet and took off, ignoring the stinging in her skin and the screaming in her muscles as she took off for the tree line. The sound of his door shutting only pushed her faster, her bare feet pounding on the dirt as she flew through the forest.

It was so dark that it was actually pretty dark to see, and she hissed as branches whipped and cut at her skin. But the pain was dulled by the fright that was filling her lungs and threatening to drown her.

Mattie had never been much of a track person; she’d spent all of her high school years on the cheer team. But the adrenaline in her bloodstream was giving her the speed and endurance of a marathon runner. She couldn’t even tell what direction she was going, and she didn’t care.

She just needed to get away from Jacob.

She couldn’t tell how long she had run for, but eventually she realized she couldn’t hear her pursuer anymore. His angry shouts and threats were gone, and so were his thundering footfalls. She slowed and finally came a stop, a thin sheen of sweat having broken out over her skin. She was panting, and the cold air began to break the barrier of terror that had originally cloaked her. She shivered, reaching up and rubbing her arms as she looked around.

All the trees around her looked the same, but luckily for her, it was a full moon. The pale, silvery rays lit up the scenery about twenty feet in front of her, and as she walked, she saw a familiar rock formation.

A thrill of relief shot through her when she realized she _recognized_ that rock formation! it was small, made of about three boulders and came to roughly her waist. It was mostly flat, and it had been the area where she and her father had cleaned several of their kills. The thought of her family made her heart jump to her throat, and she fought down the tears that burned her eyes.

_Don’t worry; you’ll be home soon. You’ll get back to Florida, and your dad will kick the Seed’s asses, and you’ll never have to see-_

“Boo.”

The voice behind her growled it, tauntingly, and she shrieked as she whirled around. Jacob was standing behind her, blue eyes so dark they were almost black. She started backing up, but he moved deceptively fast for such a big man and grabbed a fist full of her hair, yanking her back towards him.

“That was stupid; you know that, kitten?” He snarled lowly, tilting her head back. She whimpered in pain as he yanked several strands particularly hard, but her cries only seemed to spur him on.

“Oh, you like when I pull your hair?” He taunted, and she started to shake her head, but he yanked her hair again and she yelped, her eyes screwing shut in pain.

“You shouldn’t have run.” He told her darkly and started pushing her back. She felt her bare shoulder blades meet the rough bark of a tree, and then he pressed his nose into her hair. His fingers tightened in her strands, and then is other hand slowly came up and tightened around her throat. “It only gets me more excited; I love it when they run.”

“Don’t.” She snarled through her fear, trying to push away from the tree, “Don’t touch me-“

She shouted in pain as he slammed her back into the tree, growling. “Oh, I know you’re scared, kitten. But don’t’ worry.” His lips brushed against her ear, and his next words made her blood run cold.

**************************************************TRIGGER WARNING*******************************************************************************

“I’m going to make you feel _real_ good.”

As his words connected in her head, new sense of fear awakened in her; this one was different. It was primal, desperate, and she started kicking and scratching, desperate to get away.

But he only laughed at her attempts. He found her fear and the panicked breaths coming from her lips _amusing._ “So you really think you’re gonna fight me off, hm?” Suddenly turning, he used his grip on her to all but throw her forward. She felt her hips meet something hard and she cried out in pain as she was bent over the rock formation, tears beginning to pour down her face.

“No, don’t! Don’t fucking touch me! Get off!”

“Oh, what’s wrong, baby?” His hand was clamped down on the back of neck, keeping her in place and nearly choking her as he pressed himself flush up against her. She felt something hard on her crotch, and she sobbed earnestly when she realized what was coming.

“No, no, please just let me go-“

“Shhhhh.” He hushed her, sounding uncharacteristically gentle as his hands began ghosting down her body. “Why are you scared, kitten? Not a virgin, are ya?”

She couldn’t even try to deny it, she was crying so hard, hiccupping and shuddering. She felt a low growl rumble through his body, the bulge against her underwear grow impossibly hard, and she could barely contain her sobs.

His hand was suddenly ripping off her underwear with such force her thighs stung, and she shrieked in protest, pressing her hands into the rocks and bucking against him. But he was a foot taller than her and about a hundred pounds heavier; it wasn’t even a fight.

By the time he was done with her, her head was pounding from dehydration, and the pain and horror had completely exhausted her. She couldn’t even make a sound when he collapsed on top of her, panting and sweaty and pressing kisses to her neck, much calmer and more satisfied than he’d been before.

Unable to hold on any longer, she gratefully allowed herself to sink into the darkness.

**********************************************END OF SCENE, BEGINNING OF NEXT. SKIP THIS ONE AS WELL IF NECESSARY******************************

She woke up in his arms.

They were both naked, and her stomach rolled when she felt his crotch pressed against her butt as he hugged her from behind. His arm was draped possessively across her waist, and his face was buried in her hair.

Pale sunlight was shining into the room from a single window on the east side of the room. They were in a full bed, covered in a thick gray quilt to ward off the chill. But being pressed against him was making her feel sweaty and uncomfortable, like she was being suffocated. Glancing behind her, she confirmed that his eyes were still shut, snores that sounded like a grizzly bear coming from his chest. With as much care as she was capable of, she slowly and carefully removed his arm from her waist. Once she was on her feet, she nearly collapsed again when an aching pain shot through her inner thighs and her lower stomach. She limped towards the door to their far right, relieved when she was met with a bathroom.

It wasn’t huge, but it had a shower and that was all she wanted. Turning on the water as hot as she could take, Mattie stepped inside. It stung her skin and turned it red, but she didn’t care. Grabbing a washcloth, she lathered it with a nearby bar of soap and started on her body.

She scrubbed hard. Harder than she should have. But all she could think of were his hands on her, his growling and grunting, his taunting words in her ears.

_“God, you’re so fucking_ tight _, kitten…”_

She scrubbed harder at her arms.

_“Yeah, you like it rough, don’t you? Oh, yeah, you do…”_

Her legs burned as she ripped the washcloth across them…

_“Oh, that’s right, fucking scream for me. Tell everyone what I’m doing to you…”_

She nearly jumped when she scrubbed across the bruises on her hips, and the sight of them finally broke her.

Dropping the washcloth, her legs gave out and she sat on the shower floor, sobbing. The burning water poured over her as she cried, pressing the crook of her arm over her face as she wailed into her skin. She was terrified that if Jacob heard her crying, he might come in there and hurt her again. Her body ached as she cried, and she wasn’t sure how long she sat there, but the water began to cool when she finally ran out of tears.

She leaned back against the wall of the shower, out of tears and unable to move with her legs stretched out in front of her. A flash of red made her look down, and she realized it was coming from between her legs. The blood that had dried on the inside of her thighs, as well as his seed that he had spilled into her, was slowly washing down the drain. As she watched it, she longed to melt into the water. To become nothing but a puddle, with no feelings or fear or pain. Simply washed down the drain and sent back out to the ocean, or the lake, or wherever the hell the water was going.

Anywhere was better than here.

* * *

**BOTH SCENES OVER**

**GENERAL P.O.V**

The dark blue pickup rumbled loudly up the dirt road, pulling to a screeching stop outside of the large farmhouse. Two figures jumped from the cab, both bundled up against the early chill that swept across their faces and reddened their cheeks and noses.

“She still not answering?” Nick asked, and Kim shook her head. Her phone was pressed to her ear as her other hand held the small bump that was bundled up in her coat and sweater, protruding from her stomach.

“No, it just rings and rings. It doesn’t even go to voicemail.”

“Maybe she lost it? You know Mattie always loses that thing.” Nick tried to reassure his wife, but she shook her head again, more fervent this time.

“That’s not it, Nick. I’m telling you, I’ve just got this bad feeling. I can’t-“

Her words caught in her throat as her eyes fell on the scene in front of them, and she reached out, grabbing her husband’s arm. “Nick.”

“What?”

She couldn’t say anything, only pointing as her face lost its color.

Mattie’s truck was sitting outside the house, its windows shattered on the ground. As they walked closer, both saw with horror something drying against the frost of the morning. It was dried and paling with the cold, but its color was unmistakable.

Blood.

“Get in the truck.” Nick told his pregnant wife, herding her back to the car and grabbing his gun as he helped her into the passenger seat. “Lock the doors and call the sheriff.”

“No, Nick, what if- what if she’s-“

“She’s not, baby, don’t worry. I’m going to go in and see if I can get her, get the sheriff here, ok?”

He shut the door, ensuring it was locked before cocking the rifle and moving towards the porch.

The door appeared shut from their point of view, but as he got closer, Nick saw that it was slightly ajar. Pushing it open with one hand, he kept his rifle up as he stepped into the house, checking to make sure the room was empty.

It was dead quiet.

Stepping inside, his eyes fell on something on the ground. He felt his throat close up when he saw it was a screwdriver, the head and a few inches above it coated in blood. He nearly reached down and grabbed it but stopped himself. Whitehorse would need the evidence.

The kitchen was a little askew, and some dishes were on the ground. There had been a struggle. He went through the rest of the house, but nothing else was really out place. There was no one in there, and there was no Mattie. Her phone was still plugged in on the counter, and that was when Nick realized her keys were missing.

As he walked back out to the front, he saw the footprints. One set appeared to be small, bare feet, going straight for the parked truck.

_Mattie._

The other set was larger, from a boot and almost definitely a man’s. He couldn’t tell if there was blood trailing with the footprints, but he could see some more when he got to the truck. In shock, he noticed Mattie’s keys in the ignition.

_She tried to get away._

Turning around, he faced the expansive Montana wilderness with a strong sense of dread.

_Mattie Robertson was missing._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Mattie :(  
> But don't worry. As much as she will suffer, when the time comes, she will rise.


	8. TRAUMA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter deals with non-consensual drug use and rape, as well as suicidal thoughts and the beginning of an attempted suicide. SKIP THIS WHOLE CHAPTER IF EITHER OF THESE ARE YOU TRIGGER.   
> Song: Trauma by NF

As happy as Mattie was to leave Jacob, the cold dread curling in her stomach was an indicator that Joseph would somehow be worse. She was sitting next to the eldest Seed brother as they drove down the Whitetail Mountains back towards the compound. The young brunette couldn’t keep her eyes off the miles and miles of thick forest, searching for people not wearing the black symbol of the Project.

While stuck in Jacob’s office (after he’d raped her on his desk), she had spotted a few notes about the Whitetail Militia as she was pulling her underwear back on. She’d completely forgotten about them; Eli Palmer had been running that community since well before she and her family had come back to Hope County to care for her grandparents. She couldn’t stop the bubble of hope it brought whenever Jacob took her walking with him to review the training sessions, green eyes glued to the forest whenever she knew he wasn’t looking.

But nothing ever happened.

Jacob’s hand was planted firmly on her thigh, his thumb brushing back and forth under the hem of her sundress. She still couldn’t wear pants. He hadn’t said anything on the drive down, but because of the things he’d forced her to do that morning, she was guessing he was still too satisfied to talk that much.

After a few more minutes of silence, his low voice grumbled through the trucks cab. “I didn’t tell Joseph about your escapade a few nights back. I hope you know the favor I did for you.”

_Yes, thank you for raping and terrorizing me and failing to mention it to your younger brother._

“And trust me, Joe would be furious. So, you and I are going to keep it to ourselves, alright kitten?”

Mattie didn’t answer, and he squeezed her leg warningly. “I asked you a question.” He growled.

She swallowed. “Yes. I understand.”

The redhead chuckled as they pulled up to the compounds entrance. “So polite. My brothers and I really did hit the jackpot.”

Mattie didn’t respond to that.

The Ranch loomed at her as she exited the car, Jacob’s arm coming over her shoulder and gluing her to his side. The peggies standing guard at the front door nodded respectfully to them and they passed through the doors, greeted with the large main area.

The table was already set, and Joseph and John were speaking quietly from their places near the head of it. Upon hearing she and Jacob enter, they both looked up and beamed.

“Ah, Jacob.” Joseph approached first, pressing his forehead to his brothers. “I’m glad to see you’ve traveled safely.” He turned to Mattie, blue eyes locking onto her green ones with a terrifying intensity. “And you’ve brought Mattie back to us. Hello, my love.”

He kissed her forehead tenderly, and Mattie clenched her fists so hard she felt her nails cut into her palms, willing herself to stay still until he was done. As he pulled away, she didn’t miss how his eyes darkened when they roamed over the lowcut top of her sun dress. Jacob had let her dress herself that morning, and she’d opted for a pale, jade colored fabric. But all the dresses were lowcut and short; very few covered the important parts enough to make her feel comfortable.

“Come, sit. We’ll eat as a family, and then Mattie and I will go back to the compound.”

Jacob had said goodbye to her with a forceful kiss to her mouth and harshly groping her ass before he finally left. Joseph gently helped her into the car, a peggie sitting silently in the driver’s seat, rifle on the seat next to him.

The ride was silent. With all the extra security, Mattie didn’t dare give escape another try.

Despite being in the mountains for only three days, the amount of construction that had taken place on the compound over that time was astounding. Most of the trailers were no longer there, and in their place were small, modest cabins. A large area surrounded by a ten-foot chain link fence held a large pack of dogs, who were barking and snarling at anyone that got too close.

Everyone had a gun, save for the few children that were running around in a small area behind the church. Most of the cult members had grown out their hair, the locks ratted and pulled back into half-assed buns and ponytails. Their faces were deeply sun burnt, and the women were bare of any type of makeup.

“What do you think, my love?” Joseph asked her, holding out a hand and helping her down from the backseat. With the other, he gestured to the busy crowd around them. “This is your home, now.”

Those few words cause a lump in her throat to swell, but she willed it down, blinking away the stinging in her eyes. “It’s, um, it’s great.”

His face lit up, and he brushed a lock of hair over her shoulder, fingers gliding over her bare shoulder. “Let me show you the best part, dear. I think you’ll really love it.”

The best part, apparently, was the church. The building was old, and decrepit. It had been the main church for most of Hope County until about fifty years ago, when the cost of repairs became too much. Jerome’s church had been built down in Falls End, and soon everyone migrated to that one.

Even now, things weren’t much better. The peeling paint had been touched up and the rotting floorboards replaced, but it still creaked heavily with each of their footfalls, seeming to sway slightly in the canyon wind. Heavy wooden pews lined the sides, and each window was now stained glass. No pictures or artwork, simply stained windowpanes.

Mattie wished she could marvel at the beauty of them.

At the front, three small steps lead up to an altar where a small wooden table sat, a simple glass vase sat in the middle with a small bouquet of white flowers. Mattie cocked her head in confusion as she walked closer; what kind of flowers were those? They looked a bit like lilies, but then again, they also held some resemblance to daisies.

“Do you like them?”

Joseph’s voice made her jump violently, but he didn’t move as he stared down at her from her right side. “The flowers. I put them here to add some color while we wait for the rest of the paint.” His eyes seemed to burn holes into her skin. “They’re beautiful, no?”

Mattie felt her hands begin to shake. She knew the look on his face. Jacob had the same one before he raped her. She could see the lust in his gaze, the way his eyes kept dipping to the swell of her breasts under the jade fabric. Stepping forward, she attempted to put as much space between she and him as she could, approaching the table.

“They’re, uh, they’re great.” She agreed, nodding sagely. She heard Joseph’s heavy footfalls behind her, and all too soon, his chest was almost flush with her back. 

“Smell them.” He gestured a large hand to the vase, but something in his voice sent shivers down her spine. It was darker, predatory. “They smell even better than they look, I promise.”

Her hands were beginning to shake, her eyes starting to move to possible escape points. But he was too close. Whatever way she started for, he’d catch her. Joseph hadn’t shown her could be as violent or aggressive as his brothers, but something in his face told her she didn’t want to find out.

Trembling slightly, she leaned forward until her nose was almost flush with the flowers and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, trying to use the opportunity to calm her shaking hands. But as she went to open her eyes, bright white spots seemed to dance in front of her. She turned her head in confusion, but a wave of dizziness swept over her and then she was tilting backwards.

“Careful, my love.” Joseph whispered as he caught her, one arm wrapping around her waist while the other held her arm. The place where their skin connected burned like fire, and she opened her mouth to speak, but her tongue felt like it was made of lead.

“What…” She couldn’t even finish her question, and she heard rustling behind her as his lips came to rest by her ear.

“Don’t fight in, dear. I didn’t want our first time to be by force.” His lips trailed down her neck, leaving a burning sensation in its wake. “Let me show you how wonderful it can be.”

“No, wait…” She tried to grip his hand to stop it from sliding lower, but she could barely wrap her fingers around his wrist. Her whole body felt like it was made of air, and yet she had no real control over her limbs. The white lights in her vision were heavy, making it hard to concentrate.

His hands moved down to her thighs, pulling up her dress. She felt him groan behind her, and despite her lightheadedness, a wave of disgust tugged at her gut.

“You are so beautiful.” He whispered, now biting and sucking at her neck. “A work of art, a blessing from the Lord for all our hard work. It is true what they say; the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh.”

The room spun, momentarily throwing her off balance, and then she was on her back. She could see Joseph hovering over her, make out the distinctions of his outline, but she couldn’t focus on any details of his face. “Stop. Don’t- I don’t want to…”

“Shhhh, you’ll change your mind, my dear.” He brushed away her hands, pushing against his chest. She felt her legs swing, and it occurred to her she was on the table at the altar. The smell of the flowers came back to her, and her arms went slack as he continued to mark her neck and moved down to her breasts. Feeling her movements stop, he paused and chuckled.

“Ah, forgive me. I’ll put the Bliss away; I’d hate for it to overwhelm you. I want you to feel this; I want you to let me show you how good I can make you feel.”

_Bliss? What was Bliss?_ She tried to ask, but she could barely form a coherent thought, let alone speak. The lights got brighter, and somewhere back on Earth, she could feel Joseph pulling her dress up, bunching the skirt at her waist.

She wanted to tell him to stop, but she couldn’t. Her underwear disappeared, and then she felt something on her inner thigh.

“Jacob told me you were pure.” He was panting, and she could see through the bright lights that his chest was heaving, eyes dark as they stared down at her. “This will feel good, I swear it.”

Then his fingers were on her. She didn’t like it; it was confusing, and she felt violated and embarrassed. But every time she tried to shift away, he shush her and move her back, applying more pressure and moving faster. She couldn’t tell what he was doing, but her body’s response was disgusting her. She could feel tingles in between her legs following certain things he did, and he’d smile down at her before repeating the motion.

A pressure started in her stomach, and she squirmed, confused and horrified. What was going on? What was happening? Why was he doing this to her? But Joseph didn’t seem to notice her reluctance or disgust.

“Yes, that’s it, my love. You’re so close, let go. Let go…”

A rush of fire and pleasure ripped through her before she could stop it, and she lost the ability to speak for a few seconds. She was still trying to form a thought when she heard his belt buckle, and then a zipper.

“Keep your eyes on me, love.” He told her softly, grabbing at the thighs as she felt him at her entrance. “This is sacred.”

The next three days were so much worse than that first day. Mattie had woken up in Josephs bed with a pounding headache and a mounting sense of dread. He didn’t seem to notice the tears in her eyes when he told her what the flowers were. _Bliss,_ they were called. He didn’t say anything beyond that, simply stroked her face and told her he was so happy she liked his ministrations.

Mattie had vomited into the toilet after he left.

She wanted to scratch her skin off. She hated her body, hated herself. _How could she do that? How could she respond like that?_ She glared at herself in the mirror, then broke down into tears.

Why was this happening? She wanted to go home. She wanted her parents and Jerome and Mary May and Boomer. She wanted her old life back.

Mattie had been a virgin before all of this. It wasn’t that she knew nothing about sex. Her mother had actually been very open to her daughter about the act itself, and her own body. Sara Robertson hadn’t bothered to keep her daughter in the dark, giving her ‘The Talk’ as early as nine years old. She’d told Mattie, “Whenever you start having sex, just tell me. We’ll get you on birth control and I’ll get you some condoms.”

But after Mattie’s best friend got chlamydia in their junior year, and three other girls had to drop out after getting pregnant, the teen had decided to hold off for a few years. That’s what college was for, right? And if she was going to risk pregnancy or an STD, she wanted to make damn sure her firs time was special.

But it wasn’t special.

It had been ripped from her. Jacob had taken her first time, and now Joseph had forced her first orgasm from her body. Mattie felt like vomiting all over again, and she curled up on the cold bathroom floor, willing away the sick reality around her.

_This couldn’t get any worse._

Evidently, she was wrong.

Three days of being drugged and raped had done nothing for her but weigh her down even further. She’d fought so hard the first few days, but he won. He always won. Nothing she ever did managed to save her, and no amount of begging ever did anything, either. He simply told her this was sacred, precious, and she would learn to accept it in time. Then, they wouldn’t _need_ to drug her.

By the time she was transferred to John, she was barely speaking. Couldn’t they just lose interest in her? There were so many other girls in Hope County, hell, even in their own ‘flock’. Why didn’t they just get one of those girls, one that was willing? But even as she thought that, Mattie didn’t mean it, not in her very core.

She wouldn’t wish this kind of hell on anyone.

And here she was, five weeks later.

Five weeks of being raped every day.

Five weeks of begging them to stop.

Five weeks of Joseph telling her this was sacred, that it was special.

Three weeks of Jacob taunting her when she cried.

Two weeks since John had carved the word _Lust_ into her ribs as she screamed and cried, kissing her head when he was done, as she lay bleeding on the ground, and telling her she was theirs; their sin, their addiction, their love.

Four days since Jacob had told her she would never leave them, not as long as any of them were alive.

Five weeks in Hell.

Mattie knew someone, anyone, had to be looking for her.

But she also knew they wouldn’t find anything. John had bragged to her and his brothers about the measures he took to avoid leaving behind any evidence. His blood wasn’t in the FBI’s database and neither was his DNA, meaning they couldn’t tie him to the crime scene. The police had no reason to search the compound, as the cult hadn’t technically committed any crimes. No judge would sign a warrant. They might be questioned, but since they were so private, no one inside the compound would tell anyone that she was there.

She was at the Ranch with John. She was laying in the bed, naked. She was forbidden to wear night clothes. John was next to her, dead asleep, a peaceful and satisfied look on his face.

Mattie fucking hated him.

Slowly and quietly, she got up out of bed. Her body was covered in bruises shaped like hands and fingerprints from where Jacob and John grabbed at her. Her neck was covered in hickey’s, her fingernails were aching from how hard she’d scratched at them when they shoved her down. But it didn’t make a difference.

If anything, it just turned them on more.

Searching the ground, she found the nightgown she’d been wearing and shrugged it on, wincing when she lifted her arms and stretched the scarring words on her torso. The letters were jagged and ugly, the entire word just a little bigger than her hand.

_Two weeks ago…_

_Mattie’s face was soaked with tears, broken cry’s wracking her body as she laid on the hard wood floor. John was kneeling over her, straddling her hips, panting heavily as he gazed down at her. She was naked, he’d raped her not too long ago. And he hadn’t stopped there._

_The burning, stinging agony of the skin over her ribs was almost unbearable; she’d screamed and cried as he cut her. But he only tossed the bloody knife off to the side and smiled down at her, his eyes shining with a sadistic glee._

_“It looks beautiful on you, my dear. Your skin, it’s so smooth. So flawless…” He ran his fingers over the lacerations, and Mattie flinched at the contact, a broken sob tumbling from her lips. “We are the very first to mark you. How sacred and wonderful it is, truly. You are ours, Mattie. You were from the moment you were born. We will cherish you forever,” he put his hand on her cheek, stroking away her tears. She screwed her eyes shut, terrified to look at the monster above her._

_“You’ll never leave us.”_

But she couldn’t cry now. She’d run out of tears. She was too tired to cry, too tired to fight them off, too tired to scream at them or curse them out.

Mattie couldn’t take it anymore.

John was out cold next to her. Ever since she’d stopped fighting back, the security that was forced on her had lightened. And now, it was barely there.

She shuffled across the floor, bending down and searching the dark floor for the article of clothing she was searching for. Her fingers eventually brushed over the leather texture, and she wrapped them tightly around it, clinging to it. She was careful not to let the buckle clink over the floor as she stood, John’s belt clutched tightly in her hand.

Crossing the room to his armoire, she stepped onto the cushioned bench that sat beside it. Her fingers were shaking it as she slowly tied the belt to the top of the wooden furniture, looping it tightly through the overhanging piece of wood that jutted out from the top.

If she were to jump off and not step off, it would snap her neck. It wouldn’t even hurt.

_It will all be over._

Tears ran down her face, the saltiness bleeding into her tongue as she swiped it over her lips to dry them as she finished tying the belt. Shifting forward, she created a loop big enough for her head and dropped it over her hair, pulling the dark brown strands through.

_It will all be over soon._

She couldn’t take another day. Mattie had never really believed in God, and she still didn’t. But even endless nothingness was better than this; it had to be.

Anything was better than this.

Death was much better than this.

She stood at the edge of the bench, staring down at the hardwood floors. She could see her feet, and in the sliver of moonlight coming through the heavy drapes, she saw it.

The chipped purple nail polish on her toes.

For some reason, it brought a fresh wave of tears. She had to bite her lip to keep from sobbing out loud as they streamed down her face. She’d been here just over a month, but it felt like a lifetime. She felt empty, hollow. The Seed’s had chipped away at her, and it felt as if there was nothing left.

They’d taken everything.

She teetered at the edge, beginning to whisper up the prayer that Jerome had taught her all those years go. God or not, she wanted whoever was up there to hear her. She wanted to make peace with whoever or whatever was waiting for her, and this was the only thing she had to go on.

“Our Father…”

The bench creaked.

“Who art in heaven…”

She shuffled closer.

“Hallowed be thy name…”

She lifted her right foot.

“Thy kingdom come…”

She was about to move forward, beginning to shift her weight, when her eyes fell on the newspaper on the armoire.

_Wait, newspaper?_

Mattie realized with a start that she hadn’t seen a single newspaper since she’d been kidnapped. Her eyes moved over the article. It was too dark to really make it out, but a breeze from the AC vent above the window moved the curtains. A wider column of moonlight fell over the paper, and her heart jumped.

_Her parents._

They were both standing in front of a large picture of her. Their faces were sunken and streaked with tears. Her mother looked much thinner than she had before, and her father’s jaw was pulled so tight it looked like his teeth were about to shatter. They were clutching each other’s hands, and Mattie’s fingers were curling around the paper and brining it closer before she could stop herself, her breathing beginning to pick up.

_Sara and David Robertson stand in front of a picture of their daughter, Marth-Ann Robertson, missing for five weeks._

_April 1, 2018_

_“We don’t know who has our little girl,” Sara Robertson admits tearfully, her voice wavering, “and we don’t even know if she’s truly alive.” The mother’s voice catches and she has to stop, taking a shaky breath. “But I want to speak to her directly._

_“Mattie, if you’re out there baby girl, please listen to me. We’re looking for you. We are doing everything we can, we are searching high and low. I promise, we will never forget you. We will never stop searching until we bring you home. Don’t give up hope, don’t quit. Don’t ever forget how much we love you, we will_ always _love you. And I promise, we will bring you home.”_

_All tips and information on the abduction of Marth-Ann Robertson_

_Can be reported to 1-800-FIND-HER_

Slowly, green eyes lifted off the page. Her tears had stopped. Looking down, they fell on the leather noose around her neck, and her heart jolted.

_They’re looking for me._

Mattie knew they had been, but just reading about it, reading that letter and hearing her mothers voice in the back of her head caused her chest to swell. For one second, she didn’t know what the feeling was.

_They’re searching for me._

Her chest felt lighter, the cracks in her heart seemed less severe. Her tears dried, and her fingers tightened on the newspaper.

_They’re going to find me._

And then Mattie realized the emotion in her chest.

It was _hope._

Reaching up, she shrugged off the noose. As quietly as she could, she stepped off the bench and realized how close she’d been to never seeing her parents again. She looked around the room, and as she faced the bed, her eyes fell upon the heavily sleeping figure in it.

And _pure rage_ flooded her system.

The Seed’s had taken just about everything. Her life, her privacy, her virginity, the right to her own body. They’d violated her and destroyed her in ways she hadn’t even know about until then, ways she wished she never _had_ to learn about. But as that rage and hope swelled in her chest, they blended together. The soft blue of the hope and the burning scarlet of the rage mixed, tendrils of color curling around each other until they were no longer different. Instead of being two different emotions, they became one. A stunning shade of violet that bled into your veins and lit up her muscles, coiling under her bones.

_Determination._

And so, she walked to John. Her footsteps were quiet, as were her hands as she grabbed the pillow next to him. She glared down at his peaceful face, the face that had fucking _smiled_ at her as she screamed and cried.

And she shoved the pillow on top of it.

Like she suspected, he woke up. He began to struggle and fight, angry cries muffled. She forced the pillow down harder, but he eventually won. Blue eyes burned in confusion and fury as he forced her face down onto the bed. But unlike a few hours earlier, she didn’t just lay there. Instead, she screamed and cursed and scratched and kicked. She managed to land a few blows to his chest and face before the door opened and more footsteps thundered in.

_They won’t take anything else from me._

She heard the word _bliss_ in the jumble of shouted instructions, and she fought harder, cursing John and damning him to Hell. She threatened to castrate him, she swore she would kill him before it was all over.

_I will not be here forever._

A sharp poke in her neck, and then her limbs were heavier. She kept moving, but eventually, she couldn’t. But she didn’t take her eyes off John’s as his grip stayed tight on her wrists, glaring at him as the world darkened and closed in around her.

_I will survive this. I will go home._

_I will survive._


End file.
